March 4, 2011
NASHVILLE - An Alli Smalley jumper from the right corner that would have tied the game rimmed out as time expired, handing the Auburn women's basketball team (15-15, 8-8 SEC) a 49-47 loss to Mississippi State (13-16, 4-12 SEC) in the first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament Thursday night.
Junior Chantel Hilliard, a native of Biloxi, Miss., notched her first career double-double as she led the Tigers with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Alli Smalley, Auburn's lone senior on the squad, followed with 14 points.
"I am disappointed in the loss, especially when you have a great senior like Alli Smalley," said Auburn head coach Nell Fortner. "But, you have to give Mississippi State credit. They played very hard and never backed down."
Auburn led by as many as 11 points in the second half, holding a 41-30 lead with 9:48 remaining. The Bulldogs out-scored the Tigers 19-6 the rest of the game, taking the lead for good on a jumper from Diamber Johnson with 1:27 left in the game.
Johnson led Mississippi State in scoring with 16 points, all coming in the second half. Senior Mary Kathryn Govero followed with 15 points while Catina Bett added 10. Ashley Brown pulled down a team-high nine rebounds for MSU.
Auburn was able to get the ball to the basket and draw fouls in the game, making it to the free throw line 16 times. But, the Tigers could only connect on 10 of the 16 attempts for 43.8 percent.
"We got ourselves to the free throw line, which was a big part of our offense, but we were not able to hit enough to win the ballgame," said Fortner. "That's the difference in the game right there. You have to hit your free throws."
Auburn shot just 34.5 percent from the field, connecting on 20-of-58 attempts. The Tigers were also held without a 3-point field goal, shooting 0-for-8 from beyond the arc. Auburn won the rebounding battle, 40-35, and forced 19 Bulldog turnovers, transitioning them into 17 points on the other end.
Mississippi State shot 36.0 percent (18-of-50) from the field and was 6-of-20 from 3-point range. The Bulldogs also tallied six blocked shots with Bett accounting for four.
MSU will advance to the SEC Tournament quarterfinals and will face Vanderbilt at 9 p.m., Friday. After being eliminated from the tournament, Auburn will have to wait to find out its postseason fate.
Auburn University will host the first and second rounds of the 2011 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship, March 20 and 22 at Auburn Arena. Tickets are available now at AUBTix.com.
Follow Auburn women's basketball on Twitter at twitter.com/AuburnWBB