National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Auburn 65, Mississippi St. 55
When: 8:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 18, 2012
Where: Auburn Arena, Auburn, Alabama
Officials: # Pat Evans, # Patrick Adams, # Antonio Petty
Attendance: 8336

AUBURN 65, MISSISSIPPI STATE 55: Frankie Sullivan scored 16 points and Kenny Gabriel added 15 points and nine rebounds to lead the Tigers to a home win over the No. 22 Bulldogs, whose NCAA Tournament hopes have faded fast with three consecutive losses to teams from the bottom half of the SEC standings.

Mississippi State dropped to 1-5 on the road in the SEC, and this one might be the last straw for their postseason hopes. Despite 16 points and 11 rebounds from Arnett Moultrie, Mississippi State couldn't hang in against the struggling Tigers.

Auburn (13-13, 3-9 SEC) had lost three straight and four of five, and the Tigers were averaging only 57.4 points in SEC play. They snapped out of that funk somewhat with three players in double digits and hitting 47.2 percent from the field.

The Bulldogs (19-8, 6-6) led by as many as seven in the first half, but they shot 35.2 percent including a dismal 5 for 22 from 3-point range.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Tigers have won 11 of the past 16 meetings at Auburn. ... Moultrie, who posted his 15th double-double of the season, played two years under Auburn coach Tony Barbee while at Texas-El Paso. ... Mississippi State's 12 SEC games have been decided by an average of 5.8 points.
Top Game Performances
 
Mississippi St.   Auburn
Arnett Moultrie 16 Scoring Frankie Sullivan 16
Dee Bost 4 Assists Varez Ward 9
Arnett Moultrie 11 Rebounds Kenny Gabriel 9
Dee Bost 6 Free Throws Made Allen Payne 3
Dee Bost 1 Steals Varez Ward 2
Wendell Lewis 2 Blocks Kenny Gabriel 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Mississippi St. 55 35.2 5-22 12-17 9 29 3 4 8
Auburn 65 47.2 4-15 11-14 13 34 1 4 10