Jan. 5, 2018
By Scott Scroggins
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Auburn led No. 7 Tennessee, 55-51, just past the midway point of the fourth quarter before falling to the Lady Vols, 70-59, Thursday night in Knoxville, Tenn. The game featured 16 lead changes and 12 ties and neither team led by more than five points prior to the contest's final minute.
Auburn head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy hopes the confidence her team gained from battling one of the nation's elite teams will benefit them the rest of the season.
"I feel good," Williams-Flournoy said. "We came to No. 7 Tennessee's own floor with them 13-0 and gave them a heck of a game. That gives us the confidence that we know we can compete with any team in this conference."
Here are three takeaways from Thursday's game.
Tigers' defense remains strong against one of SEC's best offensesAuburn's pressure defense forced Tennessee into 28 turnovers, which is a season-high for the Lady Vols, and converted those into 26 points. The Tigers have now forced at least 20 turnovers in all 14 games this season.
"We can do a lot of things with our press to up the pressure," Williams-Flournoy said. "Tennessee did a good job of spreading us out in the first quarter of last year's game, so we wanted to up the tempo a little bit right away. Our ladies did a great job. We forced them into 28 turnovers. That is unbelievable."
Auburn held Tennessee, which averaged 86.4 points per game entering the night, to 16 points below its season average.
"It gives us energy, and we know that if we can get our press set up and force turnovers, we can gain momentum offensively," Auburn point guard Janiah McKay said. "Once we figure out we can get to the basket and get the ball in the hoop, it gives us confidence in the half-court."
Auburn hitting the offensive glass in SEC playDespite Tennessee's starting frontline going 6-6, 6-2, 6-2, Auburn held its own on the boards against the SEC's top rebounding team as the Tigers pulled down 20 offensive boards in the game and were even on the boards until the final few minutes of the game.
Unique Thompson led Auburn with eight rebounds and Jazmine Jones added five, including four on the offensive end. Auburn has 44 offensive rebounds in their first two SEC games. The Tigers lead the SEC with 15.8 offensive rebounds per game this season.
Tiffany Lewis a big contributor in return to home stateThe game was a homecoming of sorts for redshirt senior Tiffany Lewis, who is from Chattanooga, Tenn., and whose sister, Tory, played softball at Tennessee for four seasons prior to wrapping up her career with the Vols in 2015, and she responded in a big way.
Lewis scored 10 points, her highest scoring output in an SEC game in her two years at Auburn, and was 2-of-4 from 3-point range.
"Yes, it gives me a lot of confidence," Lewis said. "I just have to be consistent and believe in myself. I know I can do it."
It doesn't get any easier for the Tigers as their next two games are also against nationally ranked opponents. The tough stretch continues at 2 p.m. Sunday against No. 19 Texas A&M at Auburn Arena before travelling to defending national champion and fourth-ranked South Carolina next Thursday.
"We have a stretch right now where we play Texas A&M and South Carolina," Williams-Flournoy said. "For anyone who doubts that this is the best conference in the country, I want to tell them to come join us and play in it, and tell me what they think about it."