Despite a strong opening, Auburn fell to No. 13 Ole Miss on Monday night with a final score of 71-45. Ole Miss pulled away decisively after Auburn’s strong opening minutes and controlled the game the rest of the night. A crowd of 3,787 fans turned out for the game, creating an SEC atmosphere at a rare neutral-site matchup.
Auburn started strong, hitting five of its first six shots. Within the first three minutes, the Tigers jumped out to an early 10-4 lead. After that fast start, Auburn did not score again for the rest of the first quarter, losing its momentum for the remainder of the quarter. Ole Miss closed the first quarter on an 18-0 run to eventually take a 22-10 lead. Cold shooting continued throughout the second quarter with Ole Miss leading 35-19 at halftime. Auburn’s defensive efforts were not enough to gain control in the second half, and Ole Miss steadily extended their lead.
Auburn struggled consistently in its offensive performance, only making one 3-pointer the entire game. Offensive rhythm disappeared after the opening minutes, resulting in limited spacing and scoring opportunities throughout the game. Harissoum Coulibaly led Auburn in scoring with 11 points, making her the only Tiger to reach double figures that game. The Tigers fell behind noticeably in shooting, ending the evening at 32.1% from the floor.
Kaitlyn Duhon also provided some offensive support, adding nine points. Khady Leye scored eight points and recorded a career-high five blocks, and Ja’Mia Harris also finished with eight points. Despite the effort from multiple players, Auburn lacked consistent scoring in the first half, totaling just 19 points.
The Rebels controlled the paint and tempo, consistently converting shots. They shot an efficient 49.1% from the floor, nearly 17% higher than Auburn. Auburn head coach Larry Vickers emphasized rebounds as the biggest issue postgame, as Ole Miss out-rebounded Auburn 51-23.
“You could clearly see the rebounding battle, and that was disappointing,” head coach Larry Vickers said, “Ole Miss created second- and third-chance opportunities for themselves, and they did a good job attacking the basket and making us foul. We’ve got to do a better job of playing defense without fouling.”
Auburn’s defense created pressure despite the loss. The Tigers disrupted Ole Miss’s offensive flow at times, recording 14 steals. Auburn forced 15 Ole Miss turnovers and was able to convert those turnovers into 12 points. Although defensive effort was there, however it did not translate into enough offensive production for Auburn to come out on top.
Auburn continues the back-to-back road matchups to take on the Florida Gators Thursday night in Gainesville. Game time will be at 6 p.m. C.S.T. at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.
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