The Auburn women's basketball team will face the Georgia Bulldogs Thursday at 6 p.m., looking to end a two-game losing streak after a disappointing 65-49 loss Sunday against the South Carolina Gamecocks.
"We couldn't get to their shooters, and they started knocking down 3-pointers and got the lead," said head coach Nell Fortner following the South Carolina game. "South Carolina has some really nice placers, and they are very physical on defense, and we had a lot of trouble dealing with that tonight."
"We have to go back home, regroup and get ready to play."
Sophomore guard Morgan Toles paced the Tigers with 11 points along with junior forward Chantel Hilliard, who scored 11 after coming off the bench.
Toles also added a game-high seven assists.
Fortner also gave credit to a defense that forced Auburn to turn the ball over 19 times, contributing to 24 South Carolina points.
"They are physical defensively," Fortner said. "I didn't think we responded well in the first half to how physical they were defensively to us.
"It affects how you run your offense, it affects where you get your shots and what kind of looks you get, and we didn't get very many good looks today."
Sophomore guard Blanche Alverson and junior guard Morgan Jennings led Auburn with four rebounds each while Jennings also added six points, four rebounds and a team-high three steals in her seventh career start.
"Morgan played very well," Fortner said. "She is a great athlete and she came in and made some big plays for us. She is a small guard, but plays really big."
The No. 22 Bulldogs are coming off a 77-44 loss against the No. 4 Lady Volunteers, a game in which sophomore guard Jasmine James paced the Bulldogs with 11 points, while sophomore forward Anne Marie Armstrong added 10 points off the bench.
Georgia remains in second place in the Southeastern Conference standings, one game ahead of Kentucky and Vanderbilt, as it faces Auburn in its last regular season home event.
With a win against Auburn or against Florida in its season finale, the Lady Bulldogs can secure a first-round bye for next weekend's SEC tournament in Nashville.
Fortner said she knows her team has a challenge cut out for them.
Auburn will finish its regular season Sunday at 1 p.m. against the Kentucky Wildcats.
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