STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Freshman Rickea Jackson scored 18 of her season-high 22 points in the second half and No. 9 Mississippi State rallied to beat Auburn 78-73 Thursday night.

Jackson made 10 of 14 shots from the field for the Bulldogs (19-3, 7-1 Southeastern Conference), who trailed 40-33 at halftime.

Auburn (7-12, 1-7 SEC) bumped that lead to nine points within the first minute of the second half. The Bulldogs quickly came alive with a basket and foul shot from Jessika Carter that sparked a 9-0 run and tied the game.

Mississippi State ultimately outscored Auburn 27-13 in the third quarter to take a 60-53.

The Tigers had a big night from star center Unique Thompson, who had 21 points and 11 rebounds. Daisa Alexander scored 20 points and hit 4 of 6 3-pointers.

After scoring 10 points in the third quarter, Jackson came up big again in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs’ nine-point lead shrunk to two points on several occasions but the freshman scored eight straight to help withstand the challenge.

The Tigers pulled to within 71-69 with 3:27 remaining before Mississippi State clamped down defensively. The Bulldogs didn’t allow a field goal for more than four minutes.

Mississippi State’s Jessika Carter and Jordan Danberry had 13 points each and combined to go 10 of 14 from the field. Danberry had six rebounds and five assists.

BIG PICTURE

Auburn: The Tigers took No. 13 Kentucky to the wire last week before falling 68-61 and did the same to the Bulldogs.

Mississippi State: For the second time in three games, MSU went into the fourth quarter in a close ball game against a team with a losing conference record. The Bulldogs also struggled on the road at Vanderbilt last Thursday.

UP NEXT

Mississippi State: Hosts Georgia on Sunday.

Auburn: Hosts Vanderbilt on Sunday