The Tigers erased a 10-point deficit late in the game behind a career-high 19 points scored by A’riel Jackson, but ultimately fell to No. 16 Oklahoma 72-65 on Sunday, Jan. 25, at Neville Arena.
“We want to be a team that’s undefeated at Neville,” said Auburn coach Larry Vickers. “We want to take care of home court. That Oklahoma team is really good. They lead our league in assists and rebounding. Our group did a good job of competing. I’m happy with the way we fought and competed for the entirety of the game. I’m proud of my group, but we don’t believe in moral victories.”
Ja’mia Harris scored seven points to pull Auburn out of a 10-point deficit midway through the third quarter, tightening the gap to three. The Sooners made a layup to end the period 53-48.
Mya Petticord and Harris each put up 12 points for the Tigers, and Harissoum Coulibaly contributed 10 points and zero turnovers throughout 23 minutes of gameplay.
Jackson started off the final period with seven points, bringing Auburn within two points of the Sooners.
“Our seniors are starting to realize that there are only five weeks guaranteed of the season for them, and they’re starting to knock it into overdrive,” Vickers said. “She was aggressive. She saw some coverage she liked. She’s super talented. She’s in the SEC for a reason. She’s built to take the bumps, and when her jump shot is clicking, she’s super tough.”
Tying the score at 57-57 was Coulibaly, exciting the home crowd and pushing the Sooners to take a timeout with 6:09 remaining on the clock.
Reclaiming the lead with a jump shot was Oklahoma, but on her next drive, Coulibaly evened the score again to 59-59 with 4:50 to play.
Oklahoma then took back control with a 6-0 run, holding Auburn scoreless for three minutes and 48 seconds until Kaitlyn Duhon, leading the team with eight rebounds, brought back some life via a layup with 1:02 remaining, pulling the Tigers within four.
The Sooners answered Duhon with a three-pointer, taking the lead 68-61 and confirming the win, with 45 seconds remaining in the game.
Aaliyah Chavez secured four three-pointers, leading Oklahoma (16-4, 4-3) with 18 points total.
“There are no days off in this league,” Vickers said. “Our team understands that. We can compete, and hopefully those competes start to turn into W's.”
Auburn (13-8, 2-5) gets a fourth back-to-back opportunity to take down a ranked SEC opponent when No. 2 South Carolina comes to Neville Arena on Thursday, Jan. 29, at 8 p.m. CT.
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