Hubbard, Matthews propel Mississippi State over No. 8 Auburn

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Josh Hubbard scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half and Cameron Matthews had 14 points and 11 rebounds as Mississippi State beat No. 8 Auburn 64-58 on Saturday.

DJ Jeffries made 3 of four free throws in the final 11 seconds and grabbed 12 rebounds to help seal the win for Mississippi State (14-6, 3-4 SEC). Shakeel Moore scored 12 points and Tolu Smith added nine points and eight rebounds.

Johni Broome scored 14 points and Jaylin Williams added 10 to lead Auburn (16-4, 5-2).

The teams were locked in a defensive struggle in the first half. Mississippi State took a 15-10 lead on a dunk by Matthews with 7:57 left in the half. Neither team scored in the final 2:45 and they entered halftime tied at 21-all.

Auburn shot 28% in the first half and made just 2 of 10 shots from beyond arc. Mississippi State shot 32% in the first half and made just 1 of 12 attempts from long distance. The Bulldogs outrebounded the Tigers 27-14, including 11 offensive boards.

BIG PICTURE

Auburn: After a 5-0 start in the SEC and an appearance in the top 10 rankings, Auburn has dropped two straight in league play. The Tigers lost at rival Alabama on Wednesday.

Mississippi State: With consecutive road trips to Ole Miss and Alabama next week, the win over Auburn was needed to boost the Bulldogs’ NCAA Tournament hopes. Mississippi State has victories against two top-1o teams after beating Tennessee earlier in the season.

UP NEXT

Auburn: Hosts Vanderbilt on Wednesday.

Mississippi State: Travel to rival Ole Miss on Tuesday.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball