AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn put together one of its best defensive efforts of the season, but the Tigers came up one point short against Tennessee in a 56-55 loss Sunday afternoon at Auburn Arena.
A wild sequence unfolded in the final three seconds. With Tennessee leading 54-51 and with just two team fouls, the Lady Vols were trying to foul Auburn to prevent a potential game-tying 3-pointer. But senior Daisa Alexander was fouled in the act of shooting a 3 with 3.4 seconds left. She made all three free throws to tie the game at 54-all, and Tennessee called timeout to advance the ball.
Lady Vols' freshman Jordan Horston drove to the lane and put up a floater from the free-throw line that dropped to give UT a 56-54 lead with 0.6 left. After Auburn called its final timeout to advance to the frontcourt, Tennessee fouled Alexander before the ball was inbounded, giving Auburn an opportunity to tie. She made the first, but the second just rolled off the rim, and time expired to give Tennessee a one-point win.
"We had every opportunity to win that basketball game," Auburn head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. "I thought we played well enough, especially defensively to win that basketball game. We just needed a few more shots to fall.
"Just great effort, I can't fault their effort whatsoever. We had tons of opportunities to win that basketball game. You take a play here, take a play there, knock down a shot, it's just a different basketball game. It's not Daisa's free-throw. It's not Horston's shot. It was so many other opportunities throughout that game that we could have won."
On her Senior Day, Alexander led the Tigers with 15 points to go along with four steals. Robyn Benton added 11 points and four steals. Erin Howard added eight points and Annie Hughes had seven.
Shots did not fall for Auburn as the Tigers shot 28.8 percent (17-of-59) from the field and 4-of-22 (18.2%) from 3-point range. The Tigers stayed in the game with their free-throw shooting, though, hitting 17-of-23. Tennessee was 43.1 percent (22-of-51) from the field and out-rebounded Auburn 50-26.
Auburn forced Tennessee into 24 turnovers, converting those into 22 points. The Tigers had a season-low six turnovers of their own.
The Tigers never led in the game, but fought their way back from a 13-point deficit to tie it 51-51 on a pair of Thompson free throws with 3:19 left. But the teams combined to make just two field goals the rest of the way. Tennessee led 32-27 at halftime.
Rennia Davis led the Lady Vols with 22 points and 10 rebounds. She was UT's only player in double figures.
Alexander and senior managers AK Prestridge and Sean Holmes were honored in a pregame ceremony. It was the 106th game and 69th start of Alexander's career.
"Daisa has been awesome," Williams-Flournoy said. "She has been probably one of the toughest, hardest players that I've had to coach. She is just Daisa, there's no emotion. She doesn't get too high. She doesn't get too low.
"But I tell you what I like most about Daisa, and I wish every player in the country would understand this, Daisa had to wait her turn. She had to sit back. She had to sit the bench. She didn't want to sit the bench. She wanted every opportunity to walk out the door and leave. But she's got great parents, and her parents did not let her. They made her stay here. Told her, 'You keep fighting, you keep working, your chance is coming.' When you see Daisa career, and what she's been able to do here, kudos to her for staying when it was a tough situation to be in, when most people quit."
Auburn is the No. 13 seed in this week's SEC Tournament in Greenville, S.C. The Tigers will face 12th-seeded Vanderbilt at 10 a.m. CT Wednesday at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. The game can be seen on SEC Network and heard on WTGZ 93.9 FM.