Auburn struggled against No. 1 South Carolina’s strong offense while facing the Gamecocks at home, losing its third conference game 94-42.
After a rough start in the SEC conference, Auburn (10-5, 0-3) headed to Columbia, S.C. to face its biggest opponent. While the Tigers had a two-game losing streak, it was another story for the Gamecocks. No.1 South Carolina has yet to meet their match as they continue undefeated in the season (14-0). After controlling Auburn’s offense, the Gamecocks added another win to their dominant performance this season, making it 15-0.
“I thought their size really intimidated us,” said head coach Johnnie Harris. “We missed wide-open shots. We got to the free-throw line, but we missed free throws. We didn’t run the floor like we planned to run the floor. They had 50 points in the paint."
South Carolina controlled Auburn throughout the game, preventing it from scoring more than 13 points in each consecutive quarter. The Tigers tied with the Gamecocks only once in the whole game while the lead never changed.
It was clear that Auburn missed Honesty Scott-Grayson on the three-point line as she was absent for a third consecutive game. Being Auburn’s second-leading scorer, Scott-Grayson is ranked eighth in the nation with a 49% three-point percentage and averages 15.8 points per game. Scott-Grayson’s skillset was deeply missed as the Tigers struggled against the Gamecocks’ defense and thriving offense.
The shooting was a significant problem for the Tigers in this game. From the field, the Tigers were 18-for-63 (28%) and just 2-for-8 (25%) from three. The Gamecocks were 36-for-57 (63%) in their field goals and 7-for-16 (44%) from three.
Auburn lost several crucial points at the free throw line, while South Carolina capitalized on their chances. The Tigers were 4-of-12 (33%) compared to the Gamecocks’ 83% (15-of-18).
"We were in the paint trying to battle; we got some turnovers. But we were just outmatched in the paint," Harris said. "They run the floor and push the ball, and we’ve got our guards getting back on big post players. But we’ll get back, we’ll watch the film, and hopefully, our kids will learn from it.”
Although the Tigers’ struggled in the paint, Auburn’s veterans led the team in points. Senior guard Sania Wells ended the night with a season-high of 13 points, and junior guard Aicha Coulibaly led the team with 16 points.
On the other side, South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso led her team with 16 points as Aliyah Boston and Victaria Saxton followed her lead with 13 and 12, respectively.
The Tigers return back home for their Sunday, Jan. 8 matchup against in-state rivals, the Alabama Crimson Tide. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. CST with the game airing on the SEC Network. This game will be the first of two matchups this season. Since it is alumni weekend, the Tigers will have an on-court recognition at halftime and the eagles will be brought to the game.
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Caitlyn Griffin is a sophomore from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in journalism. She started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
Twitter: @caitlyngrif99
