Behind a season-high 21 points from Jaylin Williams, No. 21 Auburn extended its home-winning streak to 28 games with a 69-63 victory over Mississippi State on Saturday night.
Williams had a team-high 15 points (6-for-9 from the field) in the first half for the Tigers (14-3, 4-1 SEC). He finished 8 of 15 from the floor for the game, including 5 of 7 from the 3-point line, before fouling out with 2:34 to go in the game.
Allen Flanigan got his first start since a 93-66 win over Colgate on Dec. 2 due to the absence of 16-game starter Chris Moore (shoulder) and finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. Wendell Green Jr. scored 14 of his 17 points in the second half.
Tolu Smith had team highs in points (20) and rebounds (10) for Mississippi State (12-5, 1-4), who was 0-for-18 from behind the arc for the game.
D.J. Jeffries (12 points, eight boards), Dashawn Davis (13 points) and Cameron Matthews (seven points, five rebounds) were also productive for the Bulldogs. Shakeel Moore added seven points and four rebounds off the bench.
Auburn jumped out to a 15-8 lead with 12:44 to go in the opening half behind 13 points from Williams. The Tigers pushed the lead to 22-12 on a nifty Johnson layup with 9:15 to go in the first half. A Flanigan 3-pointer at the buzzer put Auburn up 30-22 at halftime.
Auburn maintained a 37-28 lead with 15:58 to play in the second half after Williams hit his fourth 3-pointer of the game.
The Bulldogs trimmed Auburn’s lead to 50-45, but a powerful dunk in transition by Flanigan put the Tigers up 52-45 with 7:38 to play. Mississippi State trimmed the lead to four at 57-53 with 2:34 remaining.
Nine consecutive points by Green put the Tigers up for good, 66-57, with just over a minute left in the second half to seal the game.
–Field Level Media
