Auburn 90, Mississippi St. 76

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) Auburn had the motivation and a hot-shooting Frank Tolbert, and Mississippi State couldn&#39;t overcome either.<br> <br> Tolbert scored a career-high 29 points and the Tigers shot a season-best 60 percent in a 90-76 win over the Bulldogs on Saturday.<br> <br> The rematch was nothing like the Bulldogs&#39; 90-53 win a month earlier, and Auburn coach Jeff Lebo doesn&#39;t think that&#39;s a fluke.<br> <br> ``I think coming into this game we had a mental edge and I think that happens in basketball when a team has already beaten you badly,&#39;&#39; Lebo said.<br> <br> The Tigers (11-10, 2-6 Southeastern Conference) built up a 24-point lead in the first half and led 46-27, thanks to a 30-5 run and Tolbert&#39;s 17 points.<br> <br> He came in averaging 5.8 points and correctly figured the Bulldogs (17-6, 5-4) would focus more on containing Toney Douglas and Ian Young.<br> <br> ``I knew coming out that the defense was going to play off of me,&#39;&#39; said Tolbert, who made 10 of 14 shots, including four 3-pointers. ``The defense really concentrates on Toney and Ian so when I get my chance I just want to make my shots.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> But with Tolbert making just his fifth start and averaging less than four points in league games, even Lebo wondered ``what got into Frank tonight.&#39;&#39; He had 26 points in his first seven league games.<br> <br> Douglas had 21 points and five assists for the Tigers, who had assists on 24 of 30 baskets to overcome a huge size disadvantage. Quinnel Brown had 16 points and Nathan Watson added 13 points.<br> <br> While the lopsided game on Jan. 5 helped fuel the Tigers, Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury said his team might have come in expecting a similar outcome.<br> <br> ``I think our guys had that mentality heading into today&#39;s game, and I did all I could as a coach to help them fight that mentality,&#39;&#39; Stansbury said. ``Auburn came out and shot the lights out, and we had no answers for it.<br> <br> ``We had no stops in their transition offense, and we just didn&#39;t do a great job of fighting.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> The Tigers, who had lost six of their last seven games, made 14 of 24 3-point attempts, including 3-of-3 performances from Watson and Douglas.<br> <br> The Bulldogs fell out of the polls this week for the first time in more than a year and couldn&#39;t come closer than 11 points in the second half.<br> <br> Lawrence Roberts, who dominated the first matchup with 15 rebounds, had just 16 points and seven boards though the Tigers didn&#39;t play anybody over 6-foot-6.<br> <br> Shane Power had 18 points, Ontario Harper 13 and Jamall Edmondson and Dietric Slater 11 apiece for the Bulldogs.<br> <br> The Bulldogs were outscored 36-7 after opening the game with a 9-4 lead, largely thanks to Tolbert, who came in averaging less than four points in league games.<br> <br> ``They dictated the game from start to finish, and we never responded,&#39;&#39; Harper said. ``They came out and played aggressively on both sides of the court, and it made it harder for us than it should have been.&#39;&#39;