AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn (9-4) fell to Norfolk State (12-4) 63-57 Sunday afternoon in Neville Arena. The Tigers entered Sunday’s matchup hoping to finish the non-conference slate with a victory, but the Spartans had different plans.
The story of the game was Auburn’s inability to score. Norfolk State wreaked havoc on Auburn’s offense from start to finish. The Tigers failed to score more than 14 points in each of the first three quarters. The Spartans turned Auburn over 16 times and held the Tigers to a mere 37 percent shooting from the field.
“I thought it was more us not being patient and not being poised,” Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris said. “They played their man defense. I thought we got what we were looking for when we were patient and poised. When we followed the gameplan we got what we were looking for.”
Auburn had its best offensive quarter in the fourth, scoring 22 points in the quarter. The Tigers cut the lead to three with less than two minutes left in the game, but it was too little too late and the Spartans held on for the victory.
“I thought we attacked them (in the fourth quarter),” Harris said. “We tried to attack and get the ball inside.”
The only Tiger able to find consistent success offensively was forward DaYona Gaston. Gaston scored 29 points and added 12 rebounds to record a double-double. Gaston, however, found little help offensively from her teammates. Only one other Tiger reached double-digits. Guard Mar’shaun Bostic scored 11.
“I just gotta get somebody to come and help her,” Harris said.
Norfolk State held Auburn well below its average in nearly every offensive category. Auburn entered Sunday averaging 75 points per game but was held to just 57 Sunday. Auburn also shot well below its normal percentage of 47 percent from the field against the Spartans. The Tigers never found a rhythm offensively.
The Tigers' defense kept them in the game despite the poor offensive showing. Auburn’s defense forced 22 turnovers and held the Spartans below their season-average points scored. The defense, could not completely make up for the poor offense, though.
With the loss, Auburn finishes non-conference play with four losses. The Tigers faced a challenging non-conference slate and will now enter SEC play where the competition will only increase and the Tigers will need to make improvements.
“We’re going to have to go watch film,” Harris said. “Hopefully we can get a couple of players back, but if not we will have to go watch film and try to put them in a position to be better. I’ve got to do a better job of coaching.”
Auburn begins SEC play Thursday night against Ole Miss. The game will tip-off at 6:00 PM inside Neville Arena. The game will air on the Auburn Sports Network and the SEC Network+.
