DeYona Gaston recorded her sixth double-double of the season, but it wasn’t enough to lift Auburn women’s basketball past No. 15 Tennessee. The Tigers suffered a 99-61 loss to the Lady Volunteers Thursday night at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Gaston led all scorers with 24 points and 12 rebounds, marking the 13th time this season she has surpassed the 20-point mark.
Tennessee shot 56 percent from the field (39-70), hitting a season-high 14 3-pointers, while Auburn finished at 43 percent (24-56). The Lady Vols capitalized on 21 Auburn turnovers, turning them into 22 points.
The first quarter saw Auburn stay close, with Yuting Deng hitting two 3-pointers and scoring 10 points to help the Tigers trail by just two, 22-20, after 10 minutes.
Deng started strong, finishing with 13 points, while Taylen Collins contributed nine points and three steals. Mar’Shaun Bostic dished out eight assists in the loss.
However, Tennessee found their rhythm in the second quarter, shooting 73 percent (11-15) from the field and dominating the paint. The Lady Vols had a 16 points by halftime, 50-34. Tennessee's offense managed five 3-pointers and eight offensive rebounds that led to seven second-chance points.
Auburn managed to trim the deficit to as few as 11 points in the third quarter, but Tennessee closed the period on a 10-2 run. Tennessee pulled away in the fourth quarter, going 6-for-8 from beyond the arc, while Auburn made just three field goals in the final 10 minutes.
“Their depth just wore us down,” Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris said. “We were trying to run with them, and I think we got caught up in playing their game instead of getting it down the court and trying to run something. That’s the way they’re built, and that’s their game.”
Auburn will return home for one of its final two conference games of the season on Sunday, Feb. 16, as they host Vanderbilt at Neville Arena. The game is set for 3 p.m. CST.
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Grace Heim is a senior from Enterprise, Alabama, majoring in Political Science. She started with The Plainsman in January of 2023.
You can follow her on X (Twitter) at @graceeheim
