AUBURN, Ala. – With 13 seconds left, Kermit Davis put the ball in his senior leader's hands and he delivered. For the second time in a matter of days, the Ole Miss Rebels (10-8, 5-6 SEC) refused to falter down the stretch, erasing a 14-point second half deficit to complete the season sweep of the Auburn Tigers 86-84 in overtime Saturday afternoon. "So proud for our players hanging tough," Ole Miss head coach Davis said. "We got good play off the bench. (Devontae) Shuler and (Romello) White were fantastic. Just a great week for the Rebels."
Romello White put on a career performance at Auburn Arena, scoring 30 points (14-18 FG), grabbing 10 rebounds and blocking four shots during a physically imposing afternoon.
Devontae Shuler finished just shy of a career high with 26 points (10-25 FG) while Robert Allen tied a season high 12 points. Luis Rodriguez led the Rebels with nine rebounds.
As a unit, Ole Miss shot 50 percent (33-66) from the floor and again pounded the paint with 44 points and 35 rebounds. Defensively, the Rebels forced 17 turnovers and churned 17 points out of them while getting nine steals, four of which from Jarkel Joiner.
Although it wasn't the usually winning formula, giving up a season high in points scored, it was the Ole Miss offense that pulled through down the stretch. Right out of the gate, the Rebels jumped out to a 7-2 lead, including four early points from White. Despite two wide open makes from Auburn's Dylan Cardwell coming off the bench, Shuler's three-pointer gave Ole Miss a 10-6 lead going into the game's first media timeout. Just over four minutes into the game, Shuler and Rodriguez gave Ole Miss a 2-3 start beyond the arc.
Coming out of the timeout, Sharife Cooper scored nine straight points for the Tigers to take their first lead of the game at 15-14 not long later. Coming off on an offensive foul, the Tigers found open passing lanes through the Rebel 1-3-1 defense to lead 19-16 with 11:52 left in the first half, forcing Ole Miss to call timeout. Going into the timeout, the Tigers made five of seven from the field while Ole Miss made four of five, both teams shooting over 50 percent overall. However, the Rebels stalled out for over three minutes as Auburn continued a 7-0 run to take a six-point lead.
After cutting the deficit to a single possession, the Tigers went up by seven by way of the paint with six minutes left in the half. With under two minutes left, White began to get the hot hand, but three consecutive three-pointers for Auburn gave them a 40-34 edge at the break. The Rebels shot 50 percent (13-26) from the floor with White having a season high half total of 14 points on 6-7 shooting and four rebounds. Defensively, despite five steals, were outdone in the paint battle 20-14 and on the boards 16-11. Auburn immediately made it a double-digit lead coming out of halftime after another three pointer. A 7-0 run forced Ole Miss to call timeout trailing 47-34 with 18:03 left in the second half. Both teams traded blows over the next three minutes until the Rebels cut their deficit to seven with 14:36 left to play after trailing by as much as 14.
The Tigers continued to connect as they answered every big shot the Rebels made in attempt to get back in the game nearing the midway point of the half. Auburn began the second half going 8-14 from the field. Ole Miss again used a quick surge to get back in the game. A 6-0 run and multiple turnovers cut their deficit to 61-57 with 8:00 left to play. The Tigers were held scoreless for 3:26 headed into their timeout.
With 3:45 to go, Auburn was holding a slim 67-65 lead after four minutes of grueling, physical play. A tip-in from White tied the game at 72 with 1:05 left to play. After a missed, three-pointer, Ole Miss had the basketball with 32 seconds left to play, two seconds separating the shot and game clock. Shuler's three-pointer went off the mark, extending the game five more minutes.
Both teams traded layups to begin the overtime period. Back-to-back transition baskets from Joiner gave Ole Miss their first lead since the first half with under three minutes left. With 39.9 seconds left, the Rebels had an 84-79 lead thanks to a pair of free throws from Shuler. After Cooper responded with a pair of free throws, relentless pressure on Joiner forced him to turn the ball over. Cooper capitalized with a three-pointer that bounced multiple times on top of the rim. With no timeouts left, Shuler took the ball down court, pulled up and knocked down the game winning jump shot with 0.2 on the clock, sealing another SEC win.
With the stretch of playing three of four games on the road coming to an end, Ole Miss returns home to face another nationally ranked opponent. The Rebels begin a home-and-home series with No. 17 Missouri (Feb. 10). Tipoff from The Pavilion is set for 8 p.m. on SEC Network.
TIP-INS
The Rebels sweep the season series with the Tigers.
Ole Miss has won 14 of the past 18 against Auburn.
The Rebels played their first OT game of the season.
Romello White (30) and Devontae Shuler (26) combined for 56 of the Rebels' 86 points. White scored a career-high 30 points on 14 of 18 shooting, surpassing his previous best of 25 when he was a freshman at Arizona State (Nov. 17, 2017 vs. Northern Arizona).
White's 30 points were the most points scored by a Rebel since Breein Tyree scored 40 vs. MSU (Feb. 11, 2020). White recorded his second double-double of the season and 18th for his career.
Shuler produced his 12th career 20-point game and sixth of the season.Shuler scored a season-high 26 points, including the game-winner in overtime. Robert Allen tied a season-high 12 points. Shuler recorded 2 steals, passing Jason Harrison (171) for fourth in Ole Miss history.
Shuler also moved into the program's top 10 for threes made over a career (181), passing Todd Abernethy (158).
The Rebels held a 17-10 advantage in points off turnovers.
Ole Miss overcame a double-digit second half deficit for the second straight game; the Rebels trailed by as many as 14 points.
