Stops were so scarce for Ole Miss basketball on Saturday night that it took the Rebels nearly 14 minutes to secure their first defensive rebound against Auburn.

The Ole Miss defense crumbled in an 82-59 defeat to the No. 11 Tigers at Neville Arena. Auburn got the shots it wanted whenever it wanted them. And on the rare occasions that the Tigers (16-2, 5-0 SEC) didn't connect, they beat the No. 21 Rebels (15-3, 2-3) to the glass.

It led to a box score that will make Rebels coach Chris Beard − known for producing top-tier defenses − toss and turn.

The Tigers shot 58% from the field. They connected on 8 of their 18 attempts from 3-point range. And they became the fourth out of Ole Miss' last five opponents to put up 80 points against the Rebels.

Boxed into a noisy pressure cauldron by the Tigers' ruthless efficiency and engaged crowd, Ole Miss found itself unable to bring the required physicality to stay in the game.

The Tigers grabbed 10 offensive rebounds in total on just 23 missed field goals – including six while building their first-half advantage.

Auburn takes firm control in the first half

Any drama relating to the game's outcome had evaporated by halftime.

The Tigers' offense blasted off for 46 first-half points, and Auburn took a 19-point lead into the locker room at the break.

Despite their defensive issues, the Rebels had managed to stay close enough for the game's first 14 minutes, trailing just 27-21 late in the first half.

But Auburn closed the half on a 19-6 run that featured four 3-pointers that came from four different shooters. Ole Miss could not cope with the weapons Auburn used to spread the floor.

Playing to an always-raucous crowd, the Tigers used their first-half cushion as a platform to turn on the style in the second half.

A 16-3 run after the under-16 timeout, featuring plenty of flexed muscles, cupped ears and waving arms from the Tigers, finished the Rebels off.

Turnover bug bites Ole Miss basketball

Though it didn't quite match the disastrous effort Ole Miss put in on defense, the Rebels' offensive effort wasn't up to standard either.

The main culprit? Turnovers.

Ole Miss gave the ball away 17 times, leading to 22 Auburn points. The showing was out of character for a team that came into the game averaging 10.2 turnovers per game.

The Rebels also ceded control of the 3-point line for the second consecutive game.

Ole Miss connected on just four of its 17 attempts from distance, thanks in part to a quiet performance for leading scorer Matthew Murrell, who scored 8 points.

Allen Flanigan, who was showered with boos every time he touched the ball against his former team, needed 10 shots to score 10 points, too.

Up next

Ole Miss returns home to take on Arkansas on Wednesday (8 p.m., ESPNU).

David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss, Chris Beard outclassed by Auburn in second straight defeat