The Auburn Tigers (13-12, 3-8 SEC) let an 11 point second-half lead slip away in Oxford, Miss., losing to the Ole Miss Rebels (15-9, 5-5 SEC) 61-54 on Saturday night.

The Tigers held a 31-24 lead going into halftime and opened the second half with an 8-4 run to stretch the lead to double digits. With just over 15 minutes to play, the Tigers went cold to spark the Rebels’ comeback run.

“Things just didn't go in our favor at the end of the game,” said Auburn head coach Tony Barbee. “It comes down to getting defensive stops and executing at the end. They did a better job of it than we did.”

In the final 15 minutes of the game, the Tigers scored just 15 points on five for 17 shooting with six turnovers. In contrast the Rebels’ junior forward Murphy Holloway scored 14 of his game-high 20 points in the final 15.

Auburn’s junior guard Frankie Sullivan started hot, scoring the Tigers’ first eight points. Sullivan hit a layup midway through the first half to give him 10 points on four for six shooting. Sullivan then went cold, finishing the game shooting four for 13 with one assist and three turnovers.

Senior forward Kenny Gabriel led the Tigers with 15 points and seven rebounds, shooting six for 11 from the field and two for six from deep.

Sullivan’s lone assist came with 1:12 remaining on a three-pointer to Gabriel to make the score 55-54 in favor of the Rebels. Ole Miss then ended the game with a 6-0 run.

Auburn has now lost three in a row and falls to 0-6 on the road in SEC play. The Tigers hit the hardwood again in the Auburn Arena on Saturday, Feb. 18 to play the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and coverage is on FSN.