In a disheartening blowout, the Auburn Tigers (13-12, 2-9) fell at home to the No. 5 LSU Tigers (22-3, 8-3) 77-44.
Following the loss, Auburn now sits at second to last in the SEC sitting only ahead of the Arkansas Razorbacks in conference. LSU sits on the other end of the conference, and while they are fifth in conference standings, they also sit at No. 5 in the country, behind other conference powerhouses such as the Texas Longhorns and the South Carolina Gamecocks.
“It was a tough game to watch for us overall,” Auburn head coach Larry Vickers said. “We have to do a better job against those top-five teams that can cut the nets down at the SEC Tournament. I don’t feel like we’ve lived up to those moments... We’ve done a good job with (teams ranked) No. 10 to No. 30, but we’ve got to do a better job with these top 10s, these top fives. I don’t feel like we had it today.”
These comments are certainly warranted, as the Tigers have gone 1-7 in matchups against ranked opponents, with their only victory coming against the Alabama Crimson Tide a month prior to the LSU matchup.
“Get them playing hard,” LSU head coach Kim Mulkey said in regards to facing first-year head coaches in the SEC. “When you’re a first-time coach, you inherit players. In the portal, you bring in players. It takes a period of time to get your own recruits in here. I used to say build a foundation but you don’t build foundations with NIL and the transfer portal. You never know from year to year who you’re going to have on your squad.”
Auburn freshman Harrisoum Coulibaly had a great showing despite the outcome, being Auburn's only player with double digit points at 13, along with four assists and three steals. Clara Koulibaly led the team in rebounds, having ten, while also ending the Tigers's three point drought, as they missed 14 during the first half.
LSU started the game hot, scoring seven unanswered before Coulibaly eventually scored following an assist from Angena Belloso. The Tigers were down ten at 16-6 by the end of the first quarter.
“She’s trying,” Vickers said of Coulibaly's performance. “We have to do a better job of making Harissoum’s job easier. She’s going to be a thousand-point scorer in this league. It’s a matter of making her life easier. When we do that, the sky’s the limit for her.”
LSU went on an 8-0 run at the end of the first half, going into the break with a 36-13 lead. Auburn started to pick up speed in the third, scoring 15 points, but LSU put up points of their own helping them to maintain their hold on the match. LSU had not only four double digit scorers, but they also had Amiya Joyner put up a double double off the bench, having ten points and ten rebounds.
Auburn will have a week off before its next matchup against the Texas A&M Aggies. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. CST on Feb. 15 at Reed Arena.
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Braden is a freshman majoring in Aviation Management. He started with the Plainsman in fall 2025.
