Auburn women’s basketball fell to Texas 57-74, dropping their overall record to 9-9 and their conference record to 0-5.
Tonight’s game held some personal value for head coach Johnnie Harris and DeYona Gaston. Gaston played four seasons for the Longhorns, while Harris was an assistant coach before becoming the head coach for the Tigers. Gaston spoke on reuniting with her old team as opponents on the court.
“It was cool. They competed, but we also competed too. It was good to see my people.” said Gaston. “It was nice to see familiar faces, but also when it gets to the game I try to stay calm and collected. So it was nice to see them.”
While both teams took 55 shots tonight, the Tigers only shot 38% from the field, while Texas shot 45% from the field. The Longhorns also shot 50% from behind the arc compared to Auburn’s 28.6%. Texas’s quick and strategic ball movement helped the Longhorns find wide-open shooters, which allowed Texas to go on scoring runs in the second and third quarters that extended their lead.
Besides Texas’s strong shooting performance, the physicality of the game also played a part in tonight’s loss. The Longhorns shot 23 free throws, drawing 20 points from Auburn fouls. The Tigers only shot 17 free throws and made 13 of them. The numerous fouls Texas drew also put several key Auburn players in foul trouble. Gaston, Oyindamola Akinbolawa, and Yakiya Milton all had 4 fouls, while Mar’shaun Bostic fouled out of the game late in the fourth quarter.
“I thought our kids came in and battled. I thought that foul trouble in the first half, that's tough. And we have a couple of players sitting on the bench that we need on the floor.” said Harris. “We're going to have to do a better job of playing without fouling because we needed them on the floor tonight.”
Auburn’s offensive struggles continued with their rebounding and missed second-chance points opportunities. Auburn only got 11 offensive rebounds and three second-chance points, which is uncharacteristic for a Tiger team that normally thrives on the boards. The Longhorns also played strong and aggressive defense. Texas hauled in 20 defensive rebounds and nine steals, disrupting a frazzled Tiger offense.
Despite these offensive hiccups, several Tigers still shone. Gaston ended the night with 18 points, Akinbolawa tallied eight rebounds, and Bostic had 18 points, six rebounds, and five steals. Coach Harris spoke on the hard work Bostic has been putting in.
“Mar’shaun is a pass-first point guard, but I've been trying to get her to understand that a lot of the time she’s passing and she has that layup.” said Harris. “I think she took a jumper in the lane - Mar’shaun has been working on that, so it's good to see her hard work pay off. I thought she took what the defense gave her.”
Auburn women’s basketball will be back in action against Missouri on Sunday, January 19th at 2 pm in Neville Arena. The game will be available to watch on ESPN.
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Jackie is a freshman majoring in Drug and Biopharmaceutical Sciences. She started with The Plainsman in fall 2024.
You can follow her on X (Twitter) at @jackie_domingun
