Auburn’s eight-game win streak came to an end as the Tigers fell to Tennessee, 75-67, to open SEC play. It was the sixth straight season in which Auburn lost its first game of conference play.
Contrary to prior games, Auburn (11-3, 0-1 SEC) got off to a strong start but faltered in the second half. The first half saw Auburn build an 11-point lead and go into halftime up eight. The Tigers shot 16-of-38 in the first half, a 42.1% rate, and forced 14 Tennessee turnovers in the first 20 minutes, leading to 14 Auburn points en route to leading for the final 16:40 of the first half.
JaMya Mingo-Young led the Tigers before the break, scoring 11 in the first half. Taylen Collins added eight first-half points while Honesty Scott-Grayson and Mar’shaun Bostic each scored six. With 3:56 to play until halftime, Auburn led 35-24. At the break, it was 40-32 Auburn.
In the second half, however, it was all Tennessee. The Lady Volunteers (8-5, 1-0 SEC) went on a 15-4 run to begin the second half, asserting control of the game and never looking back. In the third quarter, Auburn was outscored 22-8 and made just three of its 18 shot attempts, a 16.7% third-quarter shooting rate.
Though the Tigers were more competitive in the fourth quarter, only being outscored 21-19, they could not overcome the damage from the third quarter and lost their first game since Nov. 20.
The Lady Volunteers did not score from the field in the final 5:30 of game time but scored eight points from the free-throw line during that span. Auburn was outscored by a margin of 43-27 in the second half.
Though the Lady Volunteers shot 56% in the second half, the Tigers’ defensive intensity kept up and Auburn forced nine more turnovers. For the game, Tennessee turned the ball over 23 times with 31.9% of their offensive possessions ending in a turnover. Auburn turned the ball over just six times.
One of the defining struggles for Auburn in the game was its inability to find the basket against the Lady Volunteers, especially from 3-point range. Auburn shot just 33.3% from the field in the game, going 26-of-78 from the field, and made just two 3-pointers in 14 attempts, a rate of only 14.3%.
The two 3-pointers for Auburn were made by Mingo-Young, who converted her only attempt from behind the arc, and McKenna Eddings, who finished 1-for-6 from 3-point range and 1-for-12 from the field.
In addition to the woes from deep, the Tigers also struggled around the rim, converting just 14 of 28 layup attempts, and in transition, with the Lady Volunteers having a 25-12 edge in fast-break points.
For the game, Bostic led the Tigers with 17 points, making seven of her 11 shots, while Scott-Grayson scored 16 on 6-of-15 shooting. After her team-best 11 points in the first half, Mingo-Young did not score in the second half, nor did Collins after eight first-half points.
The Lady Volunteers also hurt the Tigers on the boards, outrebounding the home team 47-34. Another issue for Auburn was fouls. The Tigers sent the Lady Volunteers to the foul line 30 times, with Tennessee converting 24 of those attempts. Auburn had just 16 free-throw attempts and made 13.
The Tigers will return to action on Sunday, Jan. 7, when they visit Texas A&M. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. CST and the game will be televised on the SEC Network.
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Matthew is a senior from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in journalism. He started with The Plainsman in fall 2021.
Twitter: @mattwallaceAU
