Auburn mounted a comeback from a double-digit deficit to seize the lead in the final two minutes, but late free throws ultimately decided the game as No. 16 Oklahoma secured a 73-71 victory on Monday night.
DeYona Gaston delivered an outstanding performance, scoring 24 points—including 14 in the fourth quarter—to head Auburn’s effort. She ignited a personal 9-0 run to start the final period, slicing a 10-point Oklahoma advantage down to one in just 92 seconds.
With the score knotted at 71-71 and Oklahoma holding for a final shot, Auburn committed a foul under the basket, sending the Sooners' Payton Verhulst to the free-throw line. She sank both shots to put Oklahoma ahead by two. Auburn had one last opportunity, getting the ball inside to Gaston, but her shot missed—a rare misfire on an otherwise efficient night—allowing Oklahoma to hold on for the win.
“We were looking for DeYona or Yuting, but we had Audia wide open,” Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris said. “I was screaming that Audia was open, and she makes that shot all the time. I think Taylen was thinking maybe D would get fouled, because they had been calling fouls like that all day. She had a good look, just missed it. But we were 14-of-22 from the free throw line, and we missed a crucial box-out and gave them an and-one down there.
“We fought back through some adversity. Mar’Shaun kinda took over, especially defensively, she jumpstarted us to get back in the ballgame. Having Yuting’s presence and having them hanging on her opens it up for other people, they’ve just got to make shots.”
Following Gaston’s surge to begin the fourth, both teams exchanged baskets over the next five minutes. A layup from Bostic pushed the Tigers ahead for the first time, 66-65, at the 3:30 mark. Auburn extended the lead to as much as three, 70-67, with 1:41 left to play.
However, the Tigers squandered chances at the free-throw line, missing four crucial attempts in the final quarter. Oklahoma capitalized by getting to the stripe twice in the last minute.
Gaston led all scorers with 24 points, while Bostic contributed 16 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Yakiya Milton grabbed a career-high seven rebounds, and Syriah Daniels and Yuting Deng each added nine points. Taylen Collins, playing in her home state, finished with eight points and six rebounds.
Auburn shook off a sluggish start to shoot 46 percent from the field and matched Oklahoma in three-point shooting, with both teams making five. Though the Sooners were effective from beyond the arc early, they failed to make a three-pointer in the second half.
The Tigers held a slight edge on the boards, out-rebounding Oklahoma 35-33, and converted 20 Sooners turnovers into 26 points. Auburn’s bench provided a significant boost, contributing 37 points.
Offensively, the Tigers found scoring in bursts. After managing just one field goal over nearly seven minutes, they exploded for 15 points in the final 3:10 of the first quarter. Deng fueled the run with three three-pointers, trimming a 12-point deficit to four, making it 21-17 at the end of the period.
Oklahoma extended its lead back to 12 late in the second quarter, but Auburn responded with baskets from Syriah Daniels and a Milton tip-in to cut the margin to six at 39-33 with a minute left. The Sooners, however, scored twice in the final moments to carry a 44-35 lead into halftime.
Next up, Auburn faces another tough road challenge as they travel to Knoxville to take on No. 15 Tennessee. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. CT on Thursday at Thompson-Boling Arena.
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Grace is a Sophomore majoring in Speech Language Hearing Sciences. She joined the Plainsman in the spring of 2024.
