AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn battled the nation's 12th-ranked team for a full 40 minutes Thursday night, but a late rally fell just short in a 76-71 loss to No. 12 Kentucky at Auburn Arena.
The Tigers got 22 points from senior Unique Thompson – 13 of them in the fourth quarter – and never let the Wildcats out of their sights in Auburn's most complete effort so far in SEC play.
"We just kept fighting," Auburn head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. "We made some defensive stops, and then we hit some shots when we needed to. We didn't want to stand out there and shoot, we knew we could attack the basket, and we also knew we could get the ball inside.
"(A game like tonight) really gives them confidence. We know we can play this hard and this tough against the No. 12 team in the country, you can get out there and play with anyone. But you've got to play hard, and that's what we did tonight."
Auburn was nearly at full strength with 12 players dressed for Thursday's game, and the added depth was readily apparent as the Tigers' bench scored 27 points, their most since dropping 29 against North Florida on Dec. 17.
"Just imagine if we had everybody (healthy and available) since we started playing in the SEC," Williams-Flournoy said. "What a difference that would have made."
Thompson led all scorers with 22 points and picked up her ninth straight double-double with 10 rebounds as well. Jala Jordan had her best performance in SEC play with 11 points, and Honesty Scott-Grayson added 10 points and eight rebounds. Romi Levy contributed a career-high seven assists, the most by an Auburn player this year, along with five points and four rebounds.
Auburn shot 40 percent from the field (27-68) and hit five 3-pointers, in addition to going 12-of-16 at the free-throw line. The Tigers forced Kentucky into 15 turnovers, converting those into 16 points, and Auburn out-rebounded the Wildcats 41-38. Auburn scored 38 of its 71 points in the paint and turned 17 offensive rebounds into 12 second-chance points.
Kentucky, however, had the hot hand early, finishing at 47 percent for the game (28-59), including 10 3-pointers that proved to be the difference.
The teams traded leads throughout the first quarter with Kentucky going on an 11-3 run late that gave the Wildcats a 22-17 lead after 10 minutes. The lead grew to as many as 11, but Auburn cut it to eight at the half, holding UK to just one bucket in the final 2:30 of the half to make it 40-32 at the break.
Kentucky's lead grew as large as 14 in the third quarter, but Thompson took over in the fourth, willing Auburn back into the ballgame with a personal 5-0 run over a 30-second stretch to cut a 10-point deficit to 72-67 with just over a minute to play. A 10-second violation by Kentucky gave Auburn the ball back with a chance to cut it to a one-possession game, but a pair of missed shots led to a Kentucky rebound and a quick Auburn foul. The Wildcats then made four free throws in the closing seconds to secure the win.
Blair Green led Kentucky with 18 points, and Rhyne Howard added 14 with 11 of those coming in the second half.
The Tigers are back on the road Sunday, traveling to Tuscaloosa for the first of two rivalry matchups with Alabama. Game time is 1 p.m. CT at Coleman Coliseum with a national broadcast on ESPNU.
