The Auburn women's basketball team struggled to overcome its youth as SEC play began in 2012. The Tigers (9-7, 1-2) went to Tuscaloosa and defeated Alabama 65-55, but that win was sandwiched between two losses by an average of 23.5 points to Tennessee and Georgia.
Auburn travels to Nashville to play No. 25 Vanderbilt Thursday at 8 p.m. The Commodores (13-2, 1-1) have lost two contests this season, and coach Fortner knows the defense must step up to the challenge.
"They're a very high percentage shooting team," Fortner said. "You won't see them take a lot of bad shots on the floor. They're usually a very good three-point shooting team, and they run solid offense."
Fortner has been preparing the Tigers for Vanderbilt's efficient offense. The Commodores are led by Christina Foggie, who averages more than 17 points per game and is shooting 50 percent from three-point range, and they also have four starters averging double-digit scoring.
"It's always a challenge defending Vanderbilt because they run a really good offense," Fortner said. "This year, they seem to run more on ball screens and pounding it inside to spread you out. You've got to be ready to get outside to shooters, and you can't be too far from those three-point shooters."
Auburn has competed against two top 10 teams so far this season. The Tigers were down by one point on the road against Duke in the third game of the season, but were outscored 41-19 in the second half, losing by 23.
The Tennessee Volunteers traveled to Auburn on New Year's Day, and the Tigers were again outscored in the second half--this time 42-23--to lose by 21. Fortner said the key to finishing games is for everyone to trust their teammates and not try to do it alone.
"When you play a team tough for 30 minutes and get tired, you've got to stay strong," Fortner said. "When you get down, you've got to be able to fight back and believe in your teammates. And sometimes, I think that's where youth rears its head. Because when you're young, you try and do it all by yourself, but when you're a seasoned team, you know it takes the team to do it. So right now, we're trying to learn that lesson a little better."
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