Kevin Overton led Auburn to a 79-61 win over Mississippi State on March 11 in the opening round of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
The victory is significant for Auburn as it advances them to the next round of the tournament and marks a turnaround after losing to Mississippi State earlier in the season. The Tigers will face fifth-seeded Tennessee next, with hopes of progressing further.
Overton scored 22 points, made six three-pointers, and contributed five assists, four rebounds, and two steals while committing no turnovers in 36 minutes. He also played strong defense against Josh Hubbard, holding him to 8-of-25 shooting. “I was just trying to do my job on the ball,” Overton said. “That was the gameplan and I tried to execute it. We were struggling to make some shots so I was trying to stay aggressive, stay confident and they fell.” Head coach Steven Pearl praised his team’s defensive effort: “We obviously needed that one,” Pearl said. “I thought that was as good as our defense has played in a while. As the second half went on, we got into a little bit more of a rhythm and were able to increase that lead. The guys did a great job of responding and beating a good team that knocked us off a few weeks ago.”
KeShawn Murphy added 15 points on efficient shooting against his former team, along with nine rebounds, four steals, two assists, and two blocks for an impressive plus-28 stat line. “It was important to me,” Murphy said. “The coaches were telling me to be who you are and do what you do. That played a big role in my start to finish.” Keyshawn Hall scored 14 points while Tahaad Pettiford contributed 13 points and tied Overton with five assists each.
Auburn overcame an early deficit after trailing by three at halftime and falling behind by eight early in the second half before going on several scoring runs led by Overton’s shooting. Elyjah Freeman grabbed a career-high ten rebounds for Auburn and contributed defensively with key offensive boards and steals: “My shot wasn’t really falling today… so I had to affect the game in any kind of way,” Freeman said.
Mississippi State’s Josh Hubbard finished with 22 points but struggled from long range compared to his previous performance against Auburn when he scored a career-high 46 points three weeks prior.
Looking ahead, Auburn will play Tennessee Thursday afternoon for a spot in Friday’s quarterfinals against Vanderbilt. Pearl commented on their upcoming opponent: “They punked us the first time… Tomorrow is going to be a fight. Our guys have to step up to the challenge and show a different level of toughness this time around to beat a really good Tennessee team.”
