Auburn (9-4) missed 15 consecutive shots in the first half and went into the locker room trailing the Hampton Lady Pirates 21-12.
Auburn went scoreless for 11 minutes during the period while center Tra'Cee Tanner was limited by foul trouble.
Tanner still managed to lead the Tigers in scoring, netting 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting.
Katie Frerking added seven points and a career-high 10 rebounds. Brandy Montgomery contributed eight points and six rebounds coming off a 20 point outing against Florida International University on Monday.
Auburn went on a 10-0 run to start the second half and took the lead, 22-21. However Hampton regained control of the game and went up by as many as 10 points.
The Tigers continued to battle back behind strong defense and positioned themselves within striking distance in the game's waning moments, but the team missed their final six shots in the game with the opportunity to tie or take the lead.
Malia Tate-DeFreitas led the way for Hampton with 17 points and was also named the tournament's most valuable player.
Montgomery and Frerking were named to the all-tournament team.
Auburn will finish up their five-game road trip Friday in Columbia against No. 1 South Carolina at 6 p.m. CT as conference play begins.
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