AUBURN, Ala. — Heartbreak was once again the result for Auburn after a 67-55 loss to Kentucky as the Tigers once again were close to finding their first SEC regular-season win since February 2020.
The Tigers battled back from an early deficit to take a fourth-quarter lead, before Kentucky finished strong.
Auburn had no answer early on for Kentucky guard Rhyne Howard, who quickly scored seven points to put the Wildcats ahead in the first quarter.
While Howard took control of the game, Auburn struggled to find any points. The Tigers missed eight of their first 11 shots and turned it over five times over that span. The sluggish start allowed Kentucky to jump out to a 20-10 lead after the first 10 minutes.
“I thought we started out slow,” said head coach Johnnie Harris. “We let them come out and punch first.”
Aicha Coulibaly was once again Auburn’s main source of offense through the first quarter as she led the team with four points and five rebounds.
Despite the deficit, Auburn did not go away. A string of stops and 3-pointers from Coulibaly and Annie Hughes cut the Kentucky lead to five with four minutes to play before halftime.
But the Tigers went cold again when they had their chance to grab the lead. Auburn did not score a single field goal in the last four and a half minutes of the second quarter. Thanks to Kentucky's cold shooting, however, Auburn only trailed by six at halftime.
The aggressive defense continued in the third quarter as Auburn inched toward the lead. Though Kentucky was not turning it over much, Auburn was in its face on almost every shot. After a hot start to the game, Kentucky was only shooting 33 percent from the field midway through the third quarter.
Coulibaly claimed her fourth double-double of the season in the third quarter. The star sophomore had played almost every minute to that point and was hungry to find the win Auburn had been so close to.
As the fourth quarter began, Auburn finally found some source of offense. The Tigers attacked the basket and got to the free-throw line. Working this strategy, Auburn found its first lead of the game as the Tigers went up 49-47.
“When they went man, we wanted to attack the paint,” Harris said. “Attack the paint or kick out. We reminded them at halftime and were a lot better then.”
But as soon as the Tigers grew the lead to four, Kentucky found its first quarter offense again. After going down 51-47, Kentucky went on a 20-4 run to end the game. That run included four Wildcat 3-pointers.
Timely offensive rebounds were something Kentucky took advantage of the whole game. The Wildcats grabbed 16 offensive rebounds. In a game where every possession was crucial, Auburn’s failure to grab defensive rebounds may have cost it the game.
“Rebounding is about toughness,” Harris said. “It’s about boxing out. We'll have to get real tough real soon.”
Scoring has been an issue all season for Auburn — ranking No. 13 in the conference in points per game. With just two players scoring in double figures and 55 points scored as a team, that trend continued.
Coulibaly was the Tigers’ leading scorer with 14 points. Honesty Scott-Grayson was the only other Tiger to finish with double figures as she had 10 points of her own. Auburn shot just 33% from the field.
Howard led all scorers with 29 points. The WNBA draft prospect hit five 3-pointers and connected on all six of her free throws.
Auburn will host No. 4 Tennessee on Thursday night. The Lady Volunteers have lost just one game this season.
The game will take place at 7 p.m. CST and be broadcast on SEC Network-plus.
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Jacob is a sophomore from Leeds, Alabama. This is his second year with The Auburn Plainsman.
Twitter: @JacobWaters_
