AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn got 21 points from Honesty Scott-Grayson and 18 from Unique Thompson, but No. 8 Texas A&M shot lights-out in the second half as the Tigers fell 84-69 Thursday night at Auburn Arena.
The Tigers kept the Aggies in their sights through three-plus quarters and had one of their best shooting nights in SEC play, but A&M shot 69 percent in the second half and 83 percent in the fourth quarter to pull away in the closing minutes.
"What stands out the most is the rebounding and points in the paint," Auburn head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. "They out-rebounded us 41-28 and points in the paint was 46-26. That's where we knew we needed to hold them, because that's where they are at their best."
For the night, Auburn shot 41.3 percent (26-63) and hit 10 3-pointers, their best in SEC play. But Texas A&M hit for 51.7 percent (31-60), including 67 percent from the second quarter on. The Aggies also made the most of 18 trips to the free-throw line, knocking down 14; Auburn was 7-for-8.
Scott-Grayson topped the 20-point mark for the second time in SEC play; she had a career-high 23 at Ole Miss. She and Thompson shared the Auburn lead with three steals apiece. Thompson saw her streak of 10 straight double-doubles come to an end but led the Tigers with seven rebounds. She also made her first career 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter for Auburn's final points of the night.
Thompson moved into second place all-time at Auburn in rebounds, passing DeWanna Bonner with her fourth rebound of the night. She now has 1,051 career rebounds, 67 shy of the all-time Auburn record.
Sophomore Alaina Rice had a season-best 13 points and led the Tigers with five assists as she moved back into the starting lineup.
A miserable first quarter for both teams ended with Texas A&M leading 11-8. Auburn tied it twice and briefly took a lead midway through the second quarter when a Romi Levy 3-pointer made it 23-22. From there, the Aggies went on a 9-0 run and did not miss a shot the rest of the second quarter, taking a 33-27 lead at halftime.
An 8-3 run early in the third quarter pulled Auburn back within a point at 38-37, and it remained a 1-point game as late as 2:44 left in the period when Thompson scored her sixth straight point to make it 50-49. But A&M ended the third on a 9-2 run to take a 59-51 lead to the fourth. The Aggies then made 10-of-12 shots from the field in the final 10 minutes, a pace that the Tigers could not match.
N'dea Jones finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds for her nation-leading 11th double-double of the season. Ciera Johnson and Destiny Pitts added 14 points each.
The Tigers face their third top-25 team in four games Sunday when they travel to Fayetteville, Ark., to face the 19th-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks. Game time is 2 p.m. CT at Bud Walton Arena.
Tigers come up short to No. 8 Texas A&M
