Despite having four players put up double-figures in the points column, the Tigers were unable to get past the Volunteers.
The Auburn Tigers (14-12, 4-10 SEC) fell 83-76 at the hands of the Tennessee Volunteers (20-9, 12-2 SEC) on the road in Knoxville.
“I thought our kids came out and battled,” Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris said. “They fought. We got into some early foul trouble, we had some freshmen on the floor, and we had some unforced turnovers. Just some bad turnovers that cost us in the second quarter.”
Honesty Scott-Grayson led Auburn in scoring with 23 points which is a season-high for her in conference play. Aicha Coulibaly scored 15 points, Romi Levy and Sania Wells contributed 10 points each. Wells led the Tigers in assists with six which is a season-high for her. Scott-Grayson, Levy and Kharyssa Richardson had a three-way tie in the rebound category as they each came up with five.
Auburn shot 28-63 (44.4%) from the field, 6-18 (33.3%) from three-point range and 14-19 (73.7%) from the free-throw line.
Per usual, getting the ball inside was a focus for the Tigers as 26 of their points came from inside the paint. Taking care of the ball was something that went relatively well for the Tigers as they only turned the ball over 19 times leading to 15 points off turnovers for Tennessee. On the other hand, the Volunteers turned the ball over 21 times leading to 20 points off turnovers for the Tigers. Tennessee played better in transition, however, scoring 15 fast-break points to Auburn's 12.
Rickea Jackson led Tennesse in scoring with 27 points. Jordan Horston contributed 19 points and Tess Darby contributed 17 points. Jasmine Powell led the way for the Volunteers in assists with eight. Houston led the team in rebounds with eight, followed closely by Jillian Hollingshead with seven and Darby with five.
The Volunteers shot 28-50 (56%) from the field, 5-9 (55.6%) from three-point range and 22-32 (68.8%) from the free-throw line.
Auburn will be back in action on Thursday night when the Tigers travel over to Athens, Georgia to take on the Georgia Bulldogs (19-9, 8-6 SEC). Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m. CT. Additionally, Auburn will close out the regular season at home in Neville Arena next Sunday against the Vanderbilt Commodores (11-16, 2-11 SEC) on senior day. Tip-off for the regular season finale is set for 3:00 p.m. CT.
