AUBURN, Ala. – Three Auburn players scored in double-figures, but No. 7/6 Mississippi State was too much for the Tigers in an 85-59 Bulldog win Monday night at Auburn Arena.
The Tigers (14-3, 2-2 SEC) kept alive their streak of forcing at least 20 opponent turnovers and posted 15 steals, but Mississippi State (16-1, 4-0) took advantage of both size and transition opportunities to pull away in the second half.
"There's a reason (Mississippi State) is the No. 6 team in the country," Auburn head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. "I thought we did a very good job (in the first half), we were only down by 10 at the half. It's just a very tough game to continue to play that way. They got some transition buckets that kind of blew the lead (open). We just have to move on. There's nothing that we can dwell on about this game. We have to go get ready for Vandy on Thursday."
Daisa Alexander led Auburn with 18 points and five rebounds; it was her third straight game as Auburn's leading scorer. Brooke Moore hit four 3-pointers and added 16 points off the bench, and Crystal Primm had 14 points and a career-high seven steals. Janiah McKay and Erica Sanders had three assists apiece.
Mississippi State shot 52.7 percent from the field with a combined 67 of their 85 points coming in the paint (44) or at the free-throw line (23). Auburn was 39 percent from the floor for the night and struggled at the charity stripe, hitting just 8-of-18 attempts.
Auburn scored 20 points off 20 MSU turnovers; the Tigers have forced at least 20 turnovers in nine straight games. Primm's seven steals were the most by an Auburn player since Alexander had seven at LSU last year.
The Tigers' defense kept things close for most of the first half as a 12-point Bulldog lead was whittled down to just four points after a steal and 3-pointer from Moore made it 28-24 with 4:37 left in the half. But a pair of late Bulldog 3-pointers and missed opportunities for Auburn at the free-throw line gave State a 38-28 halftime lead.
Auburn cut it to eight early in the third quarter, but State went on a 16-4 run, paced by transition baskets, to take a 54-36 lead. That would become a 64-45 lead at the end of the period, and Auburn would get no closer the rest of the way.
Teaira McCowan led Mississippi State with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Jessika Carter added 14 points off the bench.
Auburn continues SEC play this week with its third road trip of the conference season as the Tigers travel to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt. Game time is set for 7 p.m. CT Thursday at Memorial Gym.
Tigers fall to No. 7/6 Mississippi State
