Unresolved offensive troubles cost the women's basketball team (12-14, 3-10 SEC) another game as it fell to No. 23 LSU (17-7, 6-6 SEC) 75-51 Sunday.
Auburn only managed to sink 4-of-21 field goal attempts in the first half and allowed LSU to score 21 points off 15 turnovers.
"We missed easy shots, and when you miss easy shots, it affects your confidence more than when you miss tough shots," said Auburn head coach Nell Fortner. "I thought in the second half we came out and did some nice things and competed hard, but LSU answered everything we tried to do." Auburn was led by redshirt junior Jordan Greenleaf with 14 points and six rebounds.
Senior center KeKe Carrier and junior guard Alli Smalley combined for only 14 points.
LSU head coach Van Chancellor planned ahead to take out the Auburn offensive threats.
"We were going to double Carrier every time she touched it," Chancellor said. "Our defense in the SEC has not been what it should have been, but the last two games it's been really good." LSU had a strong team leader in guard Allison Hightower, who scored 37 points and brought down four rebounds.
"She's just a tough player," Smalley said. "She was preseason player of the year, so obviously we know what we're up against when we see her. She was knocking down shots, tough shots too. We would be contesting her shots and she was still knocking them down."
Auburn never held a lead and tied the game just once at 4-4. Freshman guard Morgan Toles sank a pair of free throws before a 5minute Auburn drought. She said she could feel the offensive battle wearing the team out.
"It was really frustrating; we would just settle for outside shots and we weren't really attacking the basket," Toles said. "We had a lot of careless turnovers that really were unforced."
Carrier hit the first shot in the second half, one of only two she would make the whole game. Fortner said she felt bad for Carrier and felt she got beat up by defenders during the game.
"People play her tough and it's mind boggling to me the way teams play her the way they do when she doesn't get the calls," Fortner said. "I think this has happened to her all year long and I think she's a hard person to officiate in a women's game."
Auburn travels to Mississippi State Sunday.
The Bulldogs are coming off SEC wins against South Carolina and Ole Miss.
Smalley said the week off will be good for the women's bodies and minds.
"At this point in the season, every SEC team is tired because it's so late in the season," Smalley said. "It will be a good week for rest and also a good week to work and improve and get better at things that we need to work on."
Fortner said her team is struggling to overcome obstacles right now, but will be improving through the last few games.
"We're just in a little bit of a tough place right now, but it's a perfect opportunity for them to build some character right now and come back and see how we can finish out," Fortner said.
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