Feb. 19, 2015
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AUBURN, Ala. -- Auburn fought its way back from a 17-point deficit, but came up just short in a 51-46 loss to Ole Miss on Thursday night at Auburn Arena.
Trailing 41-25 with just over 15 minutes to play, the Tigers went on an 18-2 run that spanned the next 12 minutes to tie the game at 43-43. Ole Miss, however, would take advantage of a pair of Auburn turnovers down the stretch and convert at the free-throw line in the final minute to secure the win.
"I loved the effort," Auburn head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. "We've been in that situation before. We were down by 17 points, caught up and tied the basketball game. That hasn't happened in a while. I'm very proud of their effort. They understood that it was our defense that got us back in. If there is any other way to show them that buying into our defense is working, then that's a great indication of it."
Tra'Cee Tanner led Auburn with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting and pulled down a team-high seven rebounds. Katie Frerking matched Tanner from the field and finished with 12 points along with three assists and two steals.
The Tigers shot 40.5 percent from the field while holding Ole Miss to 33.3-percent shooting. The Rebels had just one more rebound than the Tigers (33-32) but made a big impact on the offensive glass, converting 18 offensive rebounds into 14 second-chance points. Ole Miss forced Auburn into 22 turnovers, but the teams were even in points off turnovers with 16 apiece.
Tia Faleru recorded her 31st career double-double to lead Ole Miss with 22 points and 13 rebounds.
Auburn hits the road for its next two games, beginning with a Sunday contest at Georgia. Tip is set for 1 p.m. CT from Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga.