Returning from New Jersey, the Auburn Tigers returned to Neville Arena to face the California Golden Bears, hoping to add another win under their belt. However, Cal quickly shut down that goal, defeating Auburn 67-53.
“Just a lack of toughness, attention to detail, and you know, letting (the team) know they gotta get in the gym,” said head coach Johnnie Harris. “(Cal) basically played off of us and forced us to make shots, and we were very uncomfortable in that situation.”
The Bears maintained a dominant performance in the first half, leading 33-21. Cal went 12-for-32 (38%) from the field, 4-for-10 (40%) at the three-point line and 5-for-7 (71%) at the free-throw line. Meanwhile, the Tigers struggled from the field, going 10-for-34 (29%), and went 1-for-7 (14%) beyond the arc.
In the second, Auburn found some offensive rhythm with 32 points – shooting 11-for-33 (33%) overall, 2-for-8 (25%) from three-point range and 8-for-13 (62%) at the free-throw line – compared to Cal’s 34 points – 11-for-29 (38%) on field goals, 2-for-8 (25%) at the three-point line and 10-for-12 (83%) at the free throw line.
“I knew we had to be tough and find a way to come back, but I know that we started bad and had a bad first two quarters,” said junior Mar’shaun Bostic. “So, I was trying to pick my team up and figure out a way to get us back in the game.”
But the difference maker was the free-throw line as the teams shared similar stats from the field and at the three-point line. In the first half, the Tigers didn’t make it to the line, while the Bears proceeded to sink five.
Auburn finally found itself at the free-throw line in the second half, helping close the score gap. The Tigers added eight points from the line compared to Cal’s 10 in the second half.
“At the end of the day, we have to be tougher, and that’s what I told them in the locker room,” Harris said. “You can’t worry about the fouls. You gotta score. You can’t go in expecting them to call anything.”
The veteran, Honesty Scott-Grayson, carried Auburn’s offense with 18 points – shooting 6-for-16, 1-for-4 beyond the arc and 5-for-7 at the free-throw line – accompanied with nine rebounds.
“First of all, Honesty – you know – has been under the weather,” Harris said. “Today was the first day she kind of went through shoot around. So, it was a gam time decision whether she was going to play or not, and I didn’t want to just throw her out there. But I thought she came in, and she was determined. I thought she tried to put us on our back as much as she could. She just didn’t get as much help as she needed.”
Sophomore Kaitlyn Duhon had a solid night following the graduate’s lead with nine points, going 4-for-5 and 1-for-2 at the free-throw line.
“She came out, and she hit a couple of shots,” Harris said. “I always tell Duhon to get your shot from your spot, and she’s been working on getting her feet set. I thought the two shots she took were really good shots because she had her feet under her.”
On the defensive front, senior Taylen Collins secured seven rebounds – four offensive and three defensive – adding one steal and six points. Bostic collected four blocks – leading the team – with two rebounds and one steal.
“We don’t want to feel like that no more,” Bostic said. “We know when we get to practice, we’re gonna go to war to make sure this doesn’t happen again. So, right now, it was a learning curve, but we needed it to humble us and to go ahead and get better before the tournament starts.”
Auburn will head back on the road to Orlando, Florida, on Monday, Nov. 20 to face UCF in its next game. The matchup will be broadcasted at 7 p.m. CST on ESPN+.
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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
