Sunday evening, the Tigers took a trip to Fayetteville to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks, walking away with a two-point loss. The loss put the Tigers at 3-6 in conference and 14-8 overall.
Offensively, graduate senior Honesty Scott-Grayson led the team with her third straight game with at least 20 points, totaling 27 for the game. Senior Taylen Collins put up her second double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Junior Celia Sumbane also followed close behind with 10 points.
The Auburn defense shut down the Arkansas offense in most of the first half, forcing 11 Razorback turnovers in the first half alone. As a team the Tigers totaled 12 steals for the game, with 10 in the first half.
The Tigers came in ready to play starting off the game with a six-point lead. The Auburn defense seemed to be too much for the home team as the Razorbacks were only shooting 16.7% from the field, only putting up six points by the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Razorbacks picked up a little more momentum, putting up 17 points for the quarter. However, Auburn maintained the lead, up by nine to end the half.
The home team came in hot to start the second half with back-to-back three-point jumpers. The Razorbacks eventually tied the game with just under five minutes left in the third quarter. Arkansas finished the quarter with 31 points in third alone. Auburn eventually scored in the last couple minutes to end Arkansas' run but still trailed 56-45.
The Razorbacks extended their lead by three to start the fourth quarter followed by a three from Scott-Grayson to put the Tigers within seven. Auburn continued to fight back, eventually cutting the lead to three points with four minutes to go. A bucket from Collins put Auburn within one point, but the Razorbacks quickly responded with an and-one under the basket.
Collins tied the game at the free-throw line with just a minute and a half remaining, but another three-point play from the Razorbacks gave them the lead with less than a minute on the clock. A failed three-point attempt from Auburn caused the Tigers to foul, resulting in free throws from the home team. After two made free throws which put Arkansas back up by five, Scott-Grayson put Auburn within two with a three-point jumper.
Auburn fouled Arkansas again and the Razorbacks missed both of its free throws to give Auburn another chance. After a missed Collins layup and a review, Auburn maintained possession under its own basket with 1.8 seconds left to play.
Arkansas stole the ensuing out of bounds play from Auburn, but the Razorbacks' fell out of bounds and gave the Tigers .8 seconds to score – signaling the Tigers last hope of tying the game. Mar'shaun Bostic passed to Collins who got the shot off, but the ball failed to go through the bottom of the net as the Tigers fell in heartbreaking fashion.
“I thought we played tough,” said Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris. “We knocked down shots in the first half, we were right at 50 percent. I thought everything else was good except guarding (Taliah Scott). If we make our free throws… We were 13-of-27, we lost by two, and we left 11 points on the board.”
Up next, the Tigers head to Columbia, Missouri to take on the Missouri Tigers on Sunday, Feb. 11. Tipoff is set for 1 pm CST, and the game will be televised on SEC Network.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
Alexa Gardner is a junior at Auburn, majoring in exercise science. From Birmingham, Alabama, she started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
Twitter: @alexagardner_
