For the second straight year, Auburn (10-18, 2-14 SEC) has been eliminated in the first round of the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament. The Tigers gave up another fourth quarter lead and fell in Nashville to Alabama (16-12, 6-10 SEC) 75-68.
Despite trailing 38-31 at halftime, Auburn opened the third quarter on a 16-4 run, outscoring the Tide 22-12 overall and taking a three-point lead into the final quarter. Alabama reclaimed the lead shortly after the quarter began and with an Allie Craig Cruce three-pointer, the Tide took the lead for good.
On the offensive end, the Tigers were led by Honesty Scott-Grayson who finished the game with 13 points. Scott-Grayons got into foul trouble early, limiting her to just 23 minutes of playing time.
One of the goals for Auburn heading into the game was forcing turnovers and the Tigers did just that, forcing 22 Alabama turnovers, including nine steals.
Auburn’s free throw woes, just a 67.2% success rate at the charity stripe this season, continued this afternoon with the Tigers converting just 14 of 28 free throw opportunities. The Tide were more successful on fewer attempts, going 17-of-24 from the line, including four clutch free throws from Megan Abrams down the stretch.
Abrams was the focal point of the Alabama offense, scoring 10 of the Tide’s 23 fourth quarter points. She led the team in points with 25 and assists with 5. Four Alabama players scored in double figures with Abrams, JaMya Mingo-Young, Brittany Davis and Cruce combining for 68 of Alabama’s 75 points.
Alabama will be back on the court tomorrow night to take on the Georgia Bulldogs (20-6, 9-7 SEC) in the second round at 9:30 p.m. CST For Auburn, their season comes to an end with 10 wins, including two in conference play.
“I’m really proud of how my team battled this season,” Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris said. “Of course, we didn't end the way we wanted to end, but I felt like they battled. They gave me everything they had.”
While this was not the way many fans wanted the season to end, there is a reason for optimism among the Auburn faithful. In her first year at the helm, Coach J brought in a Top-25 recruiting class, improved the Tigers’ overall win total by five games and defeated three Top-25 opponents, two in conference play.
“I feel like we built a foundation. We tried to put in our philosophy. I think that the kids that are coming back know what we want,” Harris said of her first year at the helm. “They know now how to take care of their bodies, so it's just a lot of little things that I think we've taught them that will carry over for next year.”
Auburn may have finished in last place, but the future is bright for Women’s Basketball on the Plains.
