Auburn stuns Ole Miss

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Posted 6:59AM on Thursday, February 14, 2002

AUBURN, ALABAMA - Two weeks ago, Auburn was mired in a six-game losing streak and searching for the right lineup. Back then, the following statement from coach Cliff Ellis would have raised eyebrows: ``This team is exciting to watch.'' Indeed, the Tigers' all-newcomer lineup continued to shake up the Southeastern Conference with a 65-62 comeback victory over Mississippi Wednesday night. ``Our record may not show it but we have a lot of heart,'' said Derrick Bird, who had 19 of his 22 points in the second half. ``This win was very important because Ole Miss is known for playing real hard and that just shows how much character this team has because we played just as hard.'' Since shifting to a four-freshman lineup, Auburn (11-11, 3-8) has knocked off No. 21 Georgia and dealt the Rebels' hopes of winning a second straight SEC West title a major blow. Bird, a junior college transfer, hit two free throws with 5.8 seconds left and freshman Dwayne Mitchell hit a clutch 3-pointer with 46 seconds to play. The Rebels (18-7, 7-5) had led by as many as 16 in the first half and 11 six minutes into the second. ``They hit some big shots and got some big rebounds and we turned the ball over,'' Mississippi coach Rod Barnes said. ``I think our kids started looking at the clock and quit playing the game.'' Mitchell's late 3-pointer gave Auburn a 63-58 lead. He scored a career-high 12 points, making his 500-shot-a-day practice habit pay off. ``Coach said to be patient, my time would come,'' Mitchell said. ``All that hard work in practice just gave me confidence.'' Justin Reed, who had 17 points and 10 rebounds, hit a follow shot with 27 seconds left to make it 63-60 and stole Mitchell's inbound pass. David Sanders drove to the basket for an easy layup with 6.3 seconds left. Then, the Rebels fouled Bird, who drilled both shots. He was 3-of-4 from 3-point range, made all five free throws and had seven rebounds. Sanders' 3-point try at the buzzer sailed over the rim. Reed had 15 second-half points for Mississippi, which has lost three of four games. Sanders scored 14 points. Mississippi, which led by 16 at one point in the first half, took a 44-33 lead with 13:55 left in the second. Derrick Allen's putback capped an 11-2 run. Bird, who had nine of Auburn's first 11 points after halftime, then hit two straight shots. Bird and Mitchell ``both gave us some great minutes, and the momentum from them picked up in the second half, and we all grabbed onto it,'' Ellis said. Mississippi's Jason Harrison said at times the Tigers just outhustled the Rebels. ``It came down to hustle plays, and they made the hustle plays in the second half, getting the loose balls and coming up with big rebounds,'' he said. The Tigers only briefly located their offense in the first half, but still trailed just 31-26 at halftime. Auburn fell behind 23-7 and needed nearly 12 minutes to get its first field goal. A quick 17-0 run, capped by 3-pointers from Bird and Adam Harrington, gave the Tigers a brief lead but Mississippi scored the next eight points. ``I was very disappointed with the score when we got into halftime,'' Barnes said. ``We just didn't play very smart.'' Auburn was playing without the league's leading shotblocker, Kyle Davis, who was suspended for the game for his part in a fight with Georgia's Steve Thomas.