Auburn fell to Georgia Southern 68-66 on Thursday in its season opener, marking the first loss for new head coach Johnnie Harris.
The game started slowly on offense, with the teams shooting a combined 9-for-41 from the floor in the opening quarter. The Tigers tried to force the ball inside, but Georgia Southern met them with seven blocks in the first half. Harris’ squad was down by two heading into the locker room.
“You play like you prepare,” Harris said of the offense. “And we didn’t prepare well."
Auburn continued to battle in the second half, with the lead never reaching higher than six points in the third quarter. But the Eagle’s defense held Auburn to just 35% in the paint on the night.
“It’s a lack of toughness,” Harris said. "You can't go up and wait for a foul to be called. You have to go up and finish a layup."
Honesty Scott-Grayson, who was Auburn’s second-leading scorer last season, shot just 4-for-12 from the field. Sania Wells led the team in scoring with 19 points on the night, a career-high for the junior from Mississippi.
“She’s been working hard,” Harris said of Wells. “I thought she came out with her hair on fire.”
After a few late fouls, Georgia Southern was able to seal its victory at the free-throw line. The Eagles finished with a 70% mark from the stripe, compared to 59% from Auburn.
“They shoot extra free throws every day,” Harris said. “I felt that they weren’t mentally tough enough to knock those free throws down tonight.”
The Tigers will head to Norfolk, Virginia, to face Old Dominion on Sunday. That game is set to tip-off at 1 p.m. CST.
Coach Harris wants her team to recover quickly before their trip up North.
"I want them to bounce back quickly," Harris said. "I want them to be prepared for a tough practice, and not just get through it. Attack it, embrace it, and move on.
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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.
