STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) Charles Rhodes had 21 points and 19 rebounds, and Mississippi State snapped its longest losing streak in nearly two decades with a 71-53 victory over Auburn on Saturday night.<br>
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Jamont Gordon had 16 points and Jamall Edmondson added 13 to help the Bulldogs (12-10, 2-7 Southeastern Conference) end a seven-game losing streak which was the longest of Rick Stansbury's tenure as head coach.<br>
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The Bulldogs led by as many as 22 in winning a matchup of the league's worst teams.<br>
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Mississippi State scored 10 straight points early in the second half, then pulled away late with a 12-0 run highlighted by two 3-pointers by Edmondson.<br>
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State held Auburn scoreless for nearly six minutes down the stretch to clinch its first SEC victory since the Bulldogs beat Arkansas on Jan. 7.<br>
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Rhodes had his second straight strong game, duplicating his 21-point performance three days earlier in a loss to Kentucky.<br>
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Ronny LeMelle led Auburn (9-10, 1-7) with 15 points. Rasheem Barrett had 12 points and Frank Tolbert added 10 for the Tigers, who fell into last place in the West and have lost two straight since their only league win came a week ago against Georgia.<br>
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Mississippi State entered with its longest losing streak since the Richard Williams-led Bulldogs lost nine in a row in 1986-87.<br>
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It was also a matchup of two of the youngest teams in the league. The Tigers started four freshmen while Mississippi State started two.<br>
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The Bulldogs outrebounded Auburn 49-33.<br>
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(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
