In Auburn’s 64-51 win over Ole Miss, the Tigers took what was a 3-point lead at halftime and broke things open in the third.
The team struggled from outside the paint but managed to take a 27-24 lead into halftime. The key part to the Tiger’s small advantage in that half was their free throws. They hit 10 of their 14 three throw attempts in the first 20 minutes of the game. In the game overall, they hit 18 of 24 free throws.
“I knew I had to do something with my free throws, so I had to focus on that and get it done,” sophomore forward Unique Thompson said.
She had a career best 10-of-12 mark at the free throw line.
Thompson did more than just hit her free throws; she led the team offensively with 20 points. Twelve of the Tigers first 15 points in the game came from her. She also had 12 rebounds, making this her ninth double-double of the season — tying her total from her freshman campaign.
The third was when the Tigers’ took control of the game. They came out of halftime and went on a 9-0 run. Auburn was able to extend its lead up to 20 points during the quarter, while limiting Ole Miss to just eight shot attempts.
"We just really became more aggressive at the high post (in the third quarter),” Tigers head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. “We needed to play well, we needed to defend well. We just needed to do well for ourselves. I thought our defensive pressure was really good."
The Tigers outscored the Rebel 25-10 and forced nine turnovers in the third. Daisa Alexander scored 10 points for the Tigers, all of which came in the third.
Auburn forced Ole Miss into 20 turnovers in total during the game and scored 15 points off of those.
The Tigers out-rebounded Ole mMss 40-38, which snapped five games straight of losing the rebounding battle. Freshman Erin Howard moved back into the staring lineup, and she had five rebounds for the Tigers.
Auburn is back at home for its next two games. The Tigers face off against Georgia on Sunday at 2 p.m. CST.
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