Auburn Knocks Off No. 18 Mississippi, 80-77

Frank Tolbert scores 29 points and DeWayne Reed has 21 in upset

Jan. 19, 2008

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) - Frank Tolbert scored 29 points and DeWayne Reed had 21, both career highs, to lead Auburn to an 80-77 victory over No. 18 Mississippi on Saturday, keeping the Rebels from matching the best start in school history.

Quantez Robertson's 3-pointer from the right corner broke a 70-all tie with 1 minute left for the Tigers (11-5, 2-2 Southeastern Conference).

Eniel Polynice of Mississippi (15-2, 2-2) then missed a 3 at the other end. Tolbert made four straight free throws and Auburn went 7-of-10 from the line over the final 39 seconds to keep Ole Miss from tying after twice pulling within three points.

Ole Miss was trying to match its 16-1 start in the 1925-26 season but fell short with yet another close one in the SEC. The Rebels' first four league games have been decided by a total of 10 points.

Reed had a career-high 20 points in Auburn's win over LSU on Wednesday night, and promptly topped that. He was 4-of-7 on 3-pointers and Auburn hit 10 of its 19 attempts from beyond the arc.

Tolbert was 9-of-11 from the field and 9-of-12 from the line. Lucas Hargrove added 10 points for the Tigers, all in the first half.

Chris Warren led Mississippi with 25 points.