The 14-seed Auburn Tigers and 11-seed Florida Gators faced off in the first round of the SEC tournament. The Gators defeated the Tigers 60-50, ending Auburn’s season.
The Tigers' defeat in Greenville, South Carolina, will end the season for Auburn as they stayed within arms reach of the Gators for the game but could not find themselves in front of Florida.
Trailing by six early in the fourth, Auburn cut the Gators' lead to 48-46 with just under seven minutes to play. But from there, Auburn’s cold streak continued as the Tigers made just one field goal the rest of the way, missing 11 of their final 12 shot attempts.
Despite holding the Gators to 34.6% from the field, Auburn did not capitalize on Florida's shooting woes and struggled themselves on shooting with only 29.9% from the field. The mark was the lowest percentage Auburn had shot in any game this season as both teams found their primary success on the offensive glass. Auburn scored 19 points off 23 offensive rebounds, and Florida had 23 points on 17 offensive boards.
The ten-point difference in the final score can be made up in the free throw differential. At the free-throw line, Florida shot 21-of-23, while Auburn went 8-for-12, with an 11 free-throw difference.
DeYona Gaston led Auburn with 16 points and 11 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the season. In her final game in an Auburn uniform, Gatson officially led the Tigers in scoring in 23 of their 30 games this season.
“This team embraced her,” said head coach Johnnie Harris. “I think she embraced that role (as a leader). That’s what she wanted to do, and she did that. She’s always the first one in the gym. She has a pro mentality. She helped our team grow.”
Gaston wrapped up her lone season at Auburn with 646 points, the third-highest single-season total in program history. She also tallied 257 made field goals, just two short of the program’s single-season record. Across her collegiate career, which included four years at the University of Texas, she amassed 1,605 points and 701 rebounds.
With the loss to the Gators, Auburn fell to 12-18 on the season and 3-13 in conference play, a step back from the 20-12 record posted by the Tigers last season.
“This team continued to fight back,” Harris said. “People didn’t see the challenges we had. Missing starters. A lot of injuries. A lot of days where didn’t have players in practice. But they continued to bounce back.
The Tigers failed to qualify for the postseason tournament after making the NIT two years ago and March Madness the previous year. With leading scorer Gatson ending her time in collegiate basketball, the Tigers will face many questions going into the offseason.
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Craig Noyes is a senior from Kensington, Maryland, majoring in journalism. He joined The Plainsman in January 2023.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @CraigNoyes58
