Williams masterclass paces Auburn

Jaylin Williams had a pull-up three in transition, a few spot-ups and shot 5-for-7 overall from beyond the arc.

Williams ended with 21 points on a true shooting percentage of 70 percent to lead Auburn to a 69-63 win over Mississippi State.

Something got into the senior forward, but what was it? Williams couldn't tell you.

"I don't know, for real," he said, with a laugh. "I mean, my teammates trust in me. They always tell me to shoot the ball... I just continue to shoot, and then it was falling."

Of his 21 points, 15 of them came in the first half and they accounted for half of Auburn's total in the first frame.

"I told him I was trying to get him the ball," said point guard Wendell Green. "I was just telling him keep shooting. I've been telling him that since I met him: 'We need you to shoot the ball. We need you to play like this. Just open it up for everybody.' And that's what he came out and did... So (I'm) just telling him to continue today and you can carry us every night for all I care."

In a game where Auburn struggled to grab rebounds, Williams grabbed seven which was tied for the most on the team along with Allen Flanigan.

Auburn needed all of that from him in what was a physical game against an imposing team.

"I thought Jaylin Williams, one of the best games I’ve ever seen him play," said Coach Bruce Pearl. "Everyone will point to the five 3’s but it was his heart and as physical as I’ve ever seen him play... If you want to give anybody credit for us winning this game, give it to Jaylin Williams."