Auburn wins, Isaac Okoro plays and all is right on The Plains.
The Auburn Tigers defeated the Ole Miss Rebels 67-58 on Tuesday in freshman Isaac Okoro's return from a 3-game absence.
One of the better starts for Auburn on the season came in this game. Auburn never trailed and held the lead for 38:04 of game time. A stat that is encouraging for the Auburn faithful, considering the team's knack for come-from-behind wins.
Head coach Bruce Pearl specifically thought the Tigers defense played an integral part of Auburn's win.
"I thought that was a terrific defensive effort tonight," said Pearl. "I thought Isaac [Okoro] coming back helped us defensively."
Okoro looked healthy in the Tigers' win and recorded 10 points on 27 minutes. The numbers won't jump off the stat sheet, but Okoro's return to the court elevated the team and fans' enthusiasm.
"I felt pretty good getting up and down the court," said Okoro.
The Tigers had missed the spark provided by Okoro, as they dropped two of the three games he missed at Missouri and Georgia.
"It was pretty tough," said Okoro on missing three games. "It showed a different side of me, being more of a communicator from our bench."
For Auburn, they hope Okoro's return will be a factor in the Tigers' upcoming road trip to Kentucky this Saturday. Last season, Auburn was dominated in Rupp Arena 80-53, a showing the Tigers would like to avenge.
