AUBURN, Ala. – This time, closing time was Auburn time.
Wendell Green Jr. made 6 of 6 free throws in the final 30 seconds and scored 13 of his game-high 23 points in the second half to lead Auburn to a 78-74 victory over Ole Miss Wednesday at Neville Arena.
"We needed that one," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. "Our best players stepped up and that was great to see. You win games at the end by getting stops and getting to the foul line. Wendell was terrific closing it out."
Johni Broome scored 19 points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked six shots, Jaylin Williams scored 12 points and Allen Flanigan added 11 points, six rebounds and five assists.
"I feel like it's my job to anchor the defense and protect the rim," Broome said. "I tried my best to do that."
"Johni made some really big shots and some really big plays, had some big blocks," Pearl said. "Al did a lot of things to impact winning, rebounding and made some big shots. Jaylin Williams was solid, and we did a great job from the foul line. I'm very happy for that group because they stepped up."
Trailing by four down the stretch after losing a 12-point second-half lead, Auburn used an 11-1 run to regain control.
After Ole Miss hit a 3-pointer to lead 63-59, Green answered for Auburn making a layup, drawing a foul and hitting a free throw to pull the Tigers within one point.
Auburn came out hot in the second half, getting 3-pointers from Zep Jasper, Flanigan and Broome to build a 49-37 lead at the 17:21 mark.
Ole Miss scored 13 unanswered points to take the lead until Green's old-fashioned 3-point play cut the Rebels' advantage to 63-62. Broome followed with an offensive rebound and found Green under the basket for a layup that put the Tigers back in front.
Ole Miss tied the score on a free throw but Broome gave Auburn the lead for good when Ole Miss was called for goaltending on Broome's shot.
The Tigers were 11-for-11 from the line in the second half. Broome and Flanigan each hit a pair while Green made all seven of his attempts.
"It shows that we're learning," Green said. "We ended up getting to the free-throw line a lot. I knew I had to make those. It was routine to go up there and block out all the noise."
Auburn made 22 of 24 free throws, a 91.7-percent clip, to help the Tigers sweep the Rebels for the second straight season for the first time in 30 years.
"Beating Ole Miss four times in a row, that's significant," Pearl said. "Now let's see if we can play better down the stretch and beat some of the best teams on our schedule."
Matthew Murrell scored 23 points to lead Ole Miss (10-18, 2-13).
Auburn (19-9, 9-6) travels to Lexington, Kentucky, to play the Wildcats Saturday at 3 p.m. CT on CBS.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
OLE MISS POSTGAME NOTES>> With the win, Auburn claims the series sweep of Ole Miss for the second-straight season. The Tigers extend their lead to 81-64 in the all-time series versus the Rebels. They are also 53-17 on their home court.
>> Wendell Green Jr. scored a game-high tying 23 points including an 11-for-12 performance from the free throw line versus Ole Miss. He has registered 20-point outings in three of the last five contests for the Tigers. It was his sixth 20-point game this season and 18th of his career.
>> Jaylin Williams reached double figures before halftime for the second-straight game. He scored 10 of his 12 points in the first half versus Ole Miss. Williams led the Tigers in the plus-minus column at +16.
>> Johni Broome turned in a monster stat line with 19 points, a game-high eight rebounds and six blocks against Ole Miss. He also added three assists. It was his third-straight double-digit game in SEC play.
>> The Tigers made 10 blocked shots in the ballgame versus Ole Miss behind six from Broome. It was the sixth time this season with 10-or-more stops against an opponent. AU is 6-0 in those games.
>> Allen Flanigan registered 11 points along with six rebounds and five assists against Ole Miss. It was his 12th double-figure game of the season and 39th of his career.
>> The Tigers shot 48.1 percent (25-52) from the floor against the Rebels. They are now 8-2 when shooting 46 percent or better from the field this season. They also shot a season-best 91.7 percent from the free throw line making 22-of-24 attempts.