COLUMBIA, S.C. – Robyn Benton scored 15 points and Unique Thompson added 12, but the Auburn women's basketball team fell on the road to No. 1 South Carolina 79-53 Thursday night at Colonial Life Arena.
South Carolina hit their first five 3-pointers of the game and shot better than 50 percent from behind the arc for the game and had five players in double figures as Auburn battled to the end but came up short against the nation's top-ranked team.
"I thought we competed," Auburn head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. "We made some decent plays, we turned them over 11 times. In spots we did some really good things. Rebounding was going to be an issue, we've got to get in there and rebound. There's a reason they're number one in the country."
Benton's 15 points led all scorers on the night, giving her five of her last six games in double figures. Thompson finished with 12 points and eight rebounds on a night when both were tough to come by. Erin Howard added nine points on three 3-pointers.
South Carolina shot 49.2 percent for the game while Auburn was 22-for-65 (33.8%) from the floor. Auburn only got to the free-throw line four times, making two, while the Gamecocks were 11-of-16. Both teams made at least half their 3-pointers; Auburn was 7-for-14 while Carolina was 10-of-19. The Gamecocks had 39 rebounds to Auburn's 34 and took advantage of their quickness in transition, scoring 20 fast-break points.
The Gamecocks hit their first five 3-pointers and eight of their first 10, pushing to a 42-23 lead at the half. Auburn answered the early barrage to cut the deficit to as few as three points at 22-19 early in the second quarter, but the Tigers were unable to get any defensive stops as the Gamecocks hit their next seven shots to pull away.
Carolina stayed hot to start the second half, shooting nearly 69 percent in the third quarter and extending its lead to as many as 30 early in the fourth. Auburn outscored the Gamecocks 13-11 in the final period.
Five players scored in double-figures for South Carolina, led by 13 points each from Zia Cooke and Aliyah Boston.
Auburn is back home for its next two games, beginning Sunday afternoon as LSU visits Auburn Arena. Tip is set for 4 p.m. CT.