For the second time in a week, the Auburn women's basketball team was unable to finish against the No. 10 team in the country.
This time around, it was Kentucky who erased a big Auburn first-half lead, and handed the Tigers their third Southeastern Conference loss of the season by a score of 73-71.
Auburn had a chance for a final basket to send the game to overtime, but was unable to get a shot off.
Off a Kentucky missed free throw, senior forward Tyrese Tanner attempted to get the ball to an open Katie Frerking to try and tie the game.
"I saw she was open, but my pass was too high," Tanner said. "I probably should have kept it, but I saw her wide open, it just didn't get there."
"It should have never come to that though," said senior center Peyton Davis. "We gave up three offensive rebounds before that, so the last possession has nothing to do with it."
Tanner led all scorers in the loss with 28 points, a career high in SEC play, moving her up to 18th on Auburn's all-time scoring list.
"She put it on her shoulders," said head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy. "She said just ride with me, I'll take you."
Tra'cee Tanner, a sophomore forward and Tyrese's sister fouled out and only played 17 minutes, but still managed to be Auburn's second leading scorer with 15.
"Just imagine what she could have done had she been able to stay in the game," Williams-Flournoy said.
The Tanner sister's combined 43 points weren't enough to overcome the mistakes the Tigers made.
"We blew it," Williams-Flournoy said. "I don't know what else to really say."
Auburn led by as many as 13 in the first half, but were plagued by turnovers and fouls.
"They were just ticky-tack fouls," Davis said. "We put them in the bonus with 14 minutes left in the second half. We can't do that."
Tanner said that the foul trouble was a matter of players not getting their job done in the front-court.
"It started with the containment from our guards," Tanner said. "When they penetrate and we get beat, then we have to force the post player to step up. If we did our job early, at the top, they wouldn't have had so many fouls."
The loss drops Auburn to 11-7 overall, with a 2-3 record in SEC play, heading into a matchup at No. 14 LSU on Thursday.
The Tigers will return home next Sunday to take on the Florida Gators.
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