AUBURN, Ala. - The Auburn Tigers (9-7, 0-3) were defeated by the Arkansas Razorbacks (8-10, 1-2) 59-58 as the Tigers remain winless in conference play.
Auburn was plagued by costly mistakes in this one, committing an uncharacteristic amount of traveling violations and sending Arkansas to the free throw line 16 times. After Auburn jumped out to a 21-8 lead at the end of the first quarter, Arkansas’ Izzy Higginbottom took over the game, scoring 36 points including the game-winning free throw. The foul call on Mar’Shaun Bostic that put Higginbottom on the line in such a crucial spot was a bit suspect according to Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris.
“There was no foul,” Harris said. “I thought Mar’Shaun did a great job, walled her up. He said he could not go to review it, he made the call, I think it was maybe anticipation.”
Free throws and turnovers were the story of the game for both teams, with both teams committing over 20 turnovers, and Higginbottom hitting a free throw with 2.4 remaining to give Arkansas a 59-58 lead. Auburn got to the free throw line a lot in this one, but left some points out there, missing eight crucial foul shots.
“The message is we beat ourselves,” Tigers Associate head coach Damitria Buchanan said. “Higginbottom is one of the best players in the country…she scored on everybody we had on her. But, we still beat ourselves, but if we can just go back and correct some of those little mistakes that we regret, then we’re in a good position to win this game.”
The Tigers got the ball with 2.4 seconds remaining in the game down by 1. The Tigers elected to give the ball to Mar’Shaun Bostic, who drove into the lane and got her shot blocked. Bostic was perfect from the field until her final attempt went by the wayside.
“That was the second option,” Bostic said. “I was really trying to get it to [Gaston]. I tried to be a team leader and get something because I knew there was 2.4 left.”
The Tigers will be back in action against No. 15 Kentucky in Lexington. Coach Harris’ squad will look to clean up the turnovers and free throws before they head to Rupp Arena.
“We gotta get in the gym and work on [our game],” Harris said. “We gotta hit a shot, they gave us wide-open, short shots, and we didn’t hit it. They packed the paint and made it really tough on defense.”
Tipoff for the Tigers and Wildcats is set for 2 p.m. Sunday and will be on SEC Network. Auburn will look to right the ship and get their first conference win of the season by upsetting the Wildcats in Rupp Arena.
