Basketball
Ole Miss Defeats Auburn in Overtime
By Adam Brown
Sports Editor
adam.brown@hottytoddy.com
Ole Miss used a last second shot by Devontae Shuler to pull off a 86-84 win over Auburn in overtime. Shuler’s game-winning point was his 26th total for the game.
“Devontae got a clean look in regulation and missed it. I told him, ‘You are going to get another one’,” head coach Kermit Davis said. “It was just fitting that it went in.”
Ole Miss (10-8, 5-6 SEC) was tied after a three-pointer was made by the Tigers with 12.5 seconds to go, and Ole Miss took the ball down and made its game-winning shot with only .2 seconds remaining.
“A fantastic win. Just the second time in as many games that we get down double-digits in the second half,” Davis said. “So proud of our players as they hung tough… Romello and Devontae were just fantastic.”
For the second straight game, Ole Miss has erased an 11+ point deficit against their opponent. The Rebels overcame a 14-point deficit before moving into overtime on the Plains.
In overtime, the Rebels continued their momentum behind the play of senior Romello White, who finished with a double-double of 30 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks.
“That’s as good of numbers as anybody in our league,” Davis said. “That was just terrific. That is the best he has played. Coming along, we have done a better job getting the ball to him.”
The Rebels third double figure scorer was Robert Allen with 12 points and five rebounds.
Auburn had four players score in double figures, three with 16 points each, including Allen Flanigan, Jaylin Williams and Devan Cambridge The fourth was Sharife Cooper with 15 points. However, this gave the Rebels defensive trouble.
“Cooper is as good as advertised. You see it on film,” Davis said. “He sees everything and kind of picked us apart in the zones we had to go back to man-to-man.”
Ole Miss forced 17 turnovers and scored 10 points off of said turnovers throughout the game. The defense also held the Tigers to 48% in regards to shooting percentage from the field.
The Rebels return to action on Wednesday as they welcome the Missouri Tigers into the Pavilion. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. on SEC Network.