STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — K.D. Johnson scored 12 of his 14 points in overtime, Jabari Smith had 27 points overall and No. 5 Auburn held off Mississippi State 81-68 in overtime Wednesday night.
With the win, the Tigers (26-4, 14-3 Southeastern Conference) clinched at least a share of the SEC regular-season championship. It marks the fourth SEC title for Auburn and the program’s first since the 2017-18 season.
Smith tied the game at 61 in the final minute of regulation, but missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer. But Johnson scored the first 10 points of overtime to help the Tigers pull away.
Tolu Smith had 22 points and 12 rebounds, and Iverson Molinar had 14 points and five assists for Mississippi State (17-13, 8-9).
Auburn jumped on Mississippi State right out of the gate and did most of the damage from 3-point range. Jasper made his third 3-pointer of the half with 10:33 remaining and gave the Tigers a 23-10 advantage.
The Tigers led by as many as 19 in the first half and led 40-28 at halftime.
Auburn shot 7 of 14 from 3-point range in the first half and had 12 first-half assists. The Tigers shot 56% overall in the first half, but were outrebounded 20-16.
Mississippi State shot just 39% in the opening half and missed all nine attempts behind the 3-point arc.
BIG PICTURE
Auburn: The Tigers snapped a three-game road losing streak in the SEC and did so at the perfect time. Auburn finishes the season with a 7-3 road record in the league.
Mississippi State: The Bulldogs' shooting woes from 3-point territory continued. Against Auburn, the Bulldogs were 0 of 13 beyond the arc and over the past three games, Mississippi State is just 1 of 33 from 3-point range in that stretch.
UP NEXT
Auburn: Closes the regular season on Saturday and will host South Carolina.
Mississippi State: Concludes the regular season Saturday at Texas A&M.
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