« on: February 15, 2011, 09:49:43 AM »
Glazed over this cause I thought it was about Snaggle's prowess.
http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/02/shaquille_johnson_becomes_1st.htmlAUBURN -- The four most magical minutes in Auburn Arena's young history might not make the record books once a few more chapters are added, but the awestruck fans who witnessed Auburn's incredible 65-62 victory over Mississippi State Saturday night are unlikely to ever forget them.
With 4:21 left in the game, Auburn trailed Mississippi State 58-45. By the time 26 seconds were left on the clock, the Tigers had taken a 62-58 lead. In between, a lot of weird stuff happened and the announced sellout crowd of 9,121 reached a frenzy of never-before-heard decibel levels.
Mississippi State (13-11, 5-5 SEC) led by as many as 19, and may have carved out a new low point in a season in which there have been many. Meanwhile, the Tigers (9-15, 2-8) celebrated a high point of a year in which there have been few.
auburncelebrate.jpgAuburn players celebrate Saturday's victory.
"All I talked about is being mean and nasty and tough, and then come winning time, let's not back down offensively," said Auburn coach Tony Barbee. "Some guys stepped up and made big plays."
The Bulldogs led by double-digits for most of the game, but their composure cracked late.
Kodi Augustus was called for a technical foul after a demonstrative reaction following a basket. Earnest Ross sunk both free throws and then things got interesting.
In the next four minutes, MSU committed five turnovers and did not attempt a single field goal. A combination of offensive ineptitude and Auburn defensive pressure turned every possession into an adventure for the Bulldogs.
Most importantly, the Tigers not only forced the turnovers, they converted them into points. Kenny Gabriel was an especially important part of the run. He stole a pass at mid-court and then dunking over two defenders to cut the lead to four. His 3-pointer with 1:18 left gave the Tigers their first lead since early in the game.
"I was on Kenny bad (in the first half)," Barbee said. "But that's the response I want to see. I don't want you to disappear."
Gabriel, who scored 18 points, said Auburn's defensive strategy involved disrupting MSU's passing lanes and hoping for sloppy passes.
"We just tried to put a lot of pressure on them," he said. "A lot of people started trying to make plays at the end, making bad passes and giving us a chance to get in the passing lanes."
Earnest Ross led the Tigers with 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting in 40 minutes of play. He was coming off a career-high 30-point performance at Georgia.
Dee Bost led the Bulldogs with 22, but more telling was who didn't show up for Mississippi State.
Augustus and fellow starting big man Renardo Sidney attempted only seven shots each. Augustus had only two rebounds. Both players fouled out.
Drawing fouls was an important part of Auburn's strategy in the second half. Barbee said he saw too many "subtle fadeaway" shots and urged players to go to the basket aggressively and force officials to make a call.
Auburn's interior play was helped by the return of Rob Chubb, who was suspended for two games after an alcohol-related arrest Jan. 30 in Auburn.
He scored six points in 16 minutes off the bench.
Barbee said Chubb "apologized sincerely" to the team.
"I'm disappointed in the decision he made, but at the same time we've all made dumb decisions," Barbee said. "It doesn't mean you throw them under the bus and forget about him."
« Last Edit: February 15, 2011, 09:51:20 AM by Saniflush »
Logged
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
No reactions
"Hey my friends are the ones that wanted to eat at that shitty hole in the wall that only served bread and wine. What kind of brick and mud business model is that. Stick to the cart if that's all you're going to serve. Then that dude came in with like 12 other people, and some of them weren't even wearing shoes, and the restaurant sat them right across from us. It was gross, and they were all stinky and dirty. Then dude starts talking about eating his body and drinking his blood...I almost lost it. That's the last supper I'll ever have there, and I hope he dies a horrible death."
3 Replies
1829 Views