Two of four from the free-throw line from Auburn's Frankie Sullivan and Varez Ward, coupled by back to back treys from the Ole Miss Rebels' Jarvis Summers and Nick Williams in the waning seconds of regulation Saturday, almost dampened a consecutive solid performance from the Tigers. But the Tigers took on the gritty personality of their coach Tony Barbee and found a way to win in double overtime 69-68, in front of a good home crowd, estimated at around 7,000.
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| Adrian Forbes was the unsung hero Saturday vs. Ole Miss. |
The Tigers built a 12 point lead early in the second half, led by Sullivan who came out of a shooting slump to score 19 points, three rebounds, and four assists. But the Rebels roared back, using a three quarter court press and a barrage of threes from Summers and Williams to make things more than interesting. Auburn turned themselves over in the Rebels' comeback more than the Rebels themselves, with sloppy ballhandling and poor decisions.
At the end of the day though, the Tigers overcame young mistakes and miscues with tenacious splay, including a clutch rebound from Sullivan on the Rebels' last possession that helped stave off what would have been a crushing defeat.
Chris Denson added 16 points and Kenny Gabriel added 11 to go along with 13 rebounds. But it was perhaps the play of the game's unsung hero Adrian Forbes, who showed the Tigers' new found toughness. Though he did not score, he took charges, dove for loose balls, and got several clutch rebounds defensively and offensively. Barbee has talked of late about how he has to “find a catalyst” for this team. On Saturday, Forbes answered his coach's plea.
With the win, Auburn improves to 11-6 (1-2), while the Rebels fall to 11-6 (1-2). Next up for Auburn is a trip to Baton Rouge, LA Tuesday to for an SEC match-up with the surprise team of the league, LSU.
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