Johni Broome's double-double lifts No. 3 Auburn over Ole Miss 62-57 at SEC Tournament
Auburn forward Johni Broome (4) grabs a rebound against the Mississippi during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinal round of the Southeastern Conference tournament, Friday, March 14, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. Credit: AP/George Walker IV
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Johni Broome scored 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as regular-season champion Auburn opened its bid to repeat at the Southeastern Conference Tournament by holding off eighth-seeded Mississippi 62-57 Friday.
The third-ranked Tigers (28-4) will play No. 8 Tennessee, an 83-72 winner over 13th-seeded Texas, in the semifinals Saturday.
Denver Jones also had 13 points as Auburn snapped a two-game skid.
Ole Miss (21-11) has lost two of its last three to top-five teams. Dre Davis and Sean Pedulla each had 12 points, and Malik Dia and Jaylen Murray 10 apiece.
The Tigers showed some rust after being off since losing to Alabama in overtime last week. They led 29-22 at halftime but never were up more than 10.
Takeaways
Ole Miss: The Rebels now are 4-2 on a neutral site against Auburn and 2-2 at this tournament. They dropped to 1-4 in the quarterfinals and last reached the semifinals in 2013.
Auburn: The Tigers have won this tournament three times, twice under coach Bruce Pearl. They also won this event in 2019 under Pearl and in 1985. They've won three league regular-season titles as well and their two tourney titles leads the SEC for most overall men's championships since 2018.
during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinal round of the Southeastern Conference tournament, Friday, March 14, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. Credit: AP/Wade Payne
Key moment
Tied at 46 after a layup by Pedulla, Auburn went on an 11-1 run. Johnson's 3-pointer put the Tigers ahead to stay with 6:05 to go. Broome scored the next five, and Jones had a three-point play as Auburn went up 57-47.
Key stat
Up 60-57 with the clock ticking, Auburn went to Broome inside for a short jumper with 11.1 seconds left to seal the win as the Tigers hit six of their final eight shots.
Up next
Auburn won at Texas during the regular season and beat Tennessee by two on Jan. 25 on the Tigers' home court. Ole Miss heads home to learn its NCAA Tournament destination.
