Auburn executed its game plan well in the first half, but fell short in the second half.
In its 73-62 loss to Tennessee Thursday night, Auburn scored just 10 points in the third quarter after entering halftime with a five-point lead. Daisa Alexander finished with a season-high 22 points to go along with three assists and three rebounds.
On the boards, Auburn was outrebounded both offensively and defensively by the Volunteers 45 to 30.
“We knew we had to rebound because they’re a very good offensive rebounding team.” said Auburn head coach Terri Flournoy.
“They got 17 offensive rebounds and scored 16 points off of those. Unique can’t be the only one in there rebounding. It was the same thing that beat us at Auburn, transition offense and offensive rebounding. If you take care of that, you can beat Tennessee.”
Thompson finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds on the night. This makes 18 double-doubles, her 11th double-double in 25 games. The sophomore is currently eighth on Auburn's all-time list for double-doubles.
After tying the game at 18 in the first period, Auburn regained in the lead in the second with pressure defense. Robyn Benton had seven points in the first half while Janiah McKay struggled, putting up only four points before halftime. McKay finished with 12 points on the night.
In the second half, Auburn only made one shot in nearly seven minutes as it struggled to get out in transition. Tennessee reclaimed and extended its lead going into the final period.
The Tigers needed a road win to improve their in-conference standing. With tonight’s loss, Auburn falls to 6-6 in the SEC. It will have one more road game, a season-ending game at Baton Rouge, before heading into the postseason.
Auburn will have to face its in state rival, Alabama, at home on Sunday. With a win on Sunday, what would be Auburn’s 19th, this would be the program's winningest season since 2008-2009.
The Tigers host the Crimson Tide at 3 p.m. CST inside Auburn Arena during their annual pink game in honor of breast cancer awareness. The game will be televised on SEC Network.
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