Exactly one month ago, Auburn women’s basketball lost to Vanderbilt by 22 points.
Since then, the Tigers have become a much better team, they think. After two close losses against ranked opponents in their last two games, junior forward Unique Thompson could see the changes.
“It changed when we realized what we we're actually capable of doing,” she said postgame. “Now we know that we’re capable of coming back.”
Auburn (8-12, 2-7 SEC) picked up its second SEC victory of the season on Sunday, holding off the Commodores 70-62 at Auburn Arena.
The Tigers came out strong in the first half, shooting 47% from the field. Daisa Alexander led the team with 11 points going into the locker room. However, missed shots plagued the second half, as Auburn shot only 1-for-13 from 3-point range.
Sophomore guard Lauren Hansen, however, was strong in the second half. She ended with 14 points, double her season average. Three of those points came in the final minute of the game. After getting an inbound pass with two seconds left on the shot clock, she managed to draw a foul behind the arc, then nailed all three free throws from behind the line.
Her improvement this season has not gone unnoticed by her teammates.
“I already knew she was going to knock them down,” Alexander said when asked about the play. “She never misses in practice.”
While shooting from the field was subpar, the Tigers converted on 18 of their 20 free throws this game. Without the stellar performance at the line, Auburn may have ended up with a loss.
Auburn played well, winning the turnover margin 22-15 as sophomore guard Robyn Benton led the team with six steals. Coach Terri Williams-Flournoy credited her young team for playing her defense as designed.
“Pressing just changes the whole game plan for anyone playing against us.” Coach Flo said.
She also praised Benton for being a key part of the scheme: “It’s good to get Robyn back at the top of the press.”
The Tigers' next game is next Sunday when they travel to Tuscaloosa to face against rival Alabama.
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Dylan Fox, Junior in Civil Site Design Engineering, joined The Plainsman as a sports writer in Spring 2020. From Geneva, IL.
