The Auburn women’s basketball team lost a tough battle 78-68 against Kentucky Thursday night at Auburn Arena.
“There wasn’t communication and there wasn’t any screening, which left shooters open,” Auburn coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. “It was a total lack of awareness on the floor.”
The Tigers started off slow as they quickly fell down 9-4 in the first quarter. Kentucky couldn’t miss from 3-point range in the opening quarter, as they went 6-6 from downtown to take a 22-18 lead.
With the second quarter progressing, the Wildcats continued to expand their lead with a 14-0 run thanks to precise 3-point shooting and defense. The lead swelled up to as much as 16, but Auburn hung in there to trail 42-28 at halftime.
The third quarter would start with cold shooting from Auburn. At one point, the Tigers went over four minutes without scoring a basket.
Kentucky continued to launch more 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and maintained their lead until the end. Overall, the Wildcats shot 55 percent from three compared to just 18 percent for the Tigers.
“It wasn’t just about them making the threes, it was more about us knowing that they were right there,” Auburn forward Unique Thompson said. It was more about us adjusting, but it still wasn’t enough.”
The Tigers had three players in double figures, led by Thompson’s 20 points. She also grabbed six rebounds during tonight’s game. Janiah McKay added 14 points, and Crystal Primm scored 11 points with 5 assists.
Rhyne Howard led the Wildcats with 19 points.
Next up for Auburn is a trip to Fayetteville to face off against Arkansas Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. CT. The game can be seen on the SEC Network.
