NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Auburn got off to a slow start and never recovered in a 77-55 loss to Vanderbilt Thursday night at Memorial Gym to open SEC play.
The Tigers (6-6, 0-1 SEC) had their worst shooting night of the season and saw Vanderbilt (11-3, 1-0) shoot a blistering 60 percent as the Commodores opened a big early lead and never looked back.
"It was two of the things that we talked about before the game – points in the paint and rebounding," Auburn head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. "You can't give up 46 points in the paint. And we wanted them to shoot the 3. They're not a 3-point shooting team – they went 1-for-3 – so why are we out there guarding them and letting them drive to the basket? Then we got out-rebounded 39-30. And it was great that we forced 29 turnovers, but then we gave it back to them 27 times."
Unique Thompson kept her nation-leading double-double streak alive with a 14-point, 10 rebound performance. She also tallied three steals and a pair of assists. Brooke Moore led the Tigers with 17 points, and Erin Howard added 13.
Vanderbilt shot 59.6 percent from the field (31-52) and outscored Auburn in the paint 46-24. The Tigers finished at 28.3 percent (17-60). Auburn had a strong night at the free-throw line, hitting 18-of-23 (78.3%).
Auburn took a 1-0 lead before the ball was even tossed on an administrative technical due to a malfunctioning shot clock at Memorial Gym, and Moore made a layup to open the in-game scoring and give the Tigers a 3-0 lead. But it was downhill from there. The Commodores went on an 8-0 run over the next two minutes and never trailed again. A 68-percent first half gave Vanderbilt a 47-18 lead at the break. The Tigers outscored Vandy 37-30 in the second half.
Mariella Fasoula led Vanderbilt with 21 points and Demi Washington added 17.
Auburn opens the home portion of SEC play Sunday when 20th-ranked Arkansas visits Auburn Arena. Game time is set for 1 p.m. CT; tickets are available at AUBTix.com.