Auburn’s offense, led by Robyn Benton, exploded Thursday night for a season-high 95 points in the 95-82 road victory over Missouri. It’s the most points for an Auburn team since Dec. 22, 2018, when the team put 96 on Elon, and the most for Auburn in an SEC game since 1990.
Right out of the gate both teams were firing from beyond the arc, shooting a total of 16 3-pointers in the first 10 minutes. Missouri shot 50% (4-of-8) and Auburn shot 38% (3-of-8) from beyond the arc in the first quarter. Erin Howard was the hot hand in the first quarter for Auburn, scoring 12 of the Tigers’ 23 first-quarter points. Howard was 5-of-8 from the field including two 3-pointers in the first 10 minutes.
After falling behind by three, Auburn moved the ball around and went on an 11-0 run where four different Tigers scored. The Auburn Tigers were up 23-18 after one and finished the first quarter on a run where they shot 6-of-7 from the field.
Auburn took its largest lead of nine with 6:12 remaining in the half, but a 13-2 run by the Missouri Tigers was able to get the black and gold Tigers back in the game. Missouri reclaimed its first lead since the 3:54 mark in the first when it went up 37-35 with 2:36 remaining in the half. The Auburn Tigers responded with two jump shots, one from Benton and one from Howard, and headed into the locker room with a 39-37 lead at the half.
The third quarter was all Auburn. The Tigers outscored Missouri 34-21 in the third, led by Daisa Alexander and Benton, who both finished the quarter with 10 points. Auburn shooters started the second half a perfect 10-of-10 from the field, including 5-of-5 from 3-point range. The 34 points are the most in a quarter for Auburn this season. Auburn had only four misses on 17 shots, shooting 76.5% in the third.
“I think they were just really playing with a lot of confidence,” Auburn head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. “They knew the importance of this game, and we knew how good Missouri was on the offensive end. We knew we had to score.”
The deficit in the fourth was too much for Missouri to overcome, despite it going on several scoring runs. Missouri brought it within seven at one point, but Auburn would answer and close out the game 3-of-3 from the field to claim the 95-82 victory.
Two Auburn Tigers set career highs in points scored in the affair. Howard, a sophomore, finished with a career-high 20 points, shooting 8-of-13 from the field with four 3-pointers. Benton led the team with her career-high 23 points, shooting 7-of-14 from the field with three 3-pointers.
Unique Thompson made Auburn history with her 21st double-double on the season. She now holds the Auburn record in career double-doubles with 41. Thompson finished with 12 points, 14 rebounds and a team-leading 35 minutes played.
Auburn will play its final game of the season on Sunday afternoon against Tennessee in Auburn Arena, where it will be Senior Day. Tip off is set for 2 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
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