Field Level Media
Feb 23, 2022
Behind Walker Kessler's 11th double-double of the season, No. 3 Auburn put another tally in the win column Wednesday night, topping Ole Miss 77-64 in Auburn, Ala.
Kessler finished the game with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting and 10 rebounds. The 7-foot-1 sophomore also had eight blocks, giving him 131 on the season to breaking Auburn's single-season record. The mark was previously held by Kyle Davis, who had 126 swats in the 2002-03 campaign.
Jabari Smith had 15 points and nine boards, Zep Jasper added 15 points and Wendell Green Jr. had 14 points to help lead Auburn (25-3, 13-2 Southeastern Conference).
Ole Miss (13-15, 4-11) lost for the fifth time in its past six games. The Rebels were led by Jarkel Joiner's 13 points. Luis Rodriguez added 12 points and Nysier Brooks had 11 points and seven boards before fouling out.
The Tigers led for nearly 36 of the game's 40 minutes. After Ole Miss got on the board first with a dunk from Matthew Murrell, Auburn took a 7-2 lead. Ole Miss then broke off a 9-2 run to take a two-point lead at the 14:04 mark in the first half.
From there, beginning with a 3-pointer from Green, Auburn embarked on an 18-4 run and never looked back. Green scored six points during that span and Jasper had five. By halftime, the Tigers had a 43-31 advantage.
Auburn's largest lead of the game was 16 points, coming on the heels of a 22-9 run in the second half. Prior to that run, Ole Miss had trimmed the deficit to three points.
Ole Miss and Auburn matched each other in turnovers (12) and points in the paint (28). Auburn had a slight 37-35 edge in rebounds. The real difference between the two sides was how well they shot. The Rebels made just 37.9 percent of shots from the floor, while the Tigers shot 45.8 percent. Ole Miss made six 3-pointers to Auburn's nine.
The Tigers' next game is on the road Saturday at No. 17 Tennessee. The Rebels play host to Texas A&M on Saturday.
--Field Level Media