AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn outscored the nation's top-ranked team in the second half, but a tough first quarter was too much to overcome as the Tigers fell to No. 2/1 South Carolina 77-58 Thursday night at Auburn Arena.
The Tigers couldn't get much of anything to fall in the first 15 minutes or so as South Carolina took advantage of Auburn's misfires and built a big early lead. But Auburn followed its worst shooting half in SEC play (19.4%) with its best (53.3%), outscoring the Gamecocks by 10 after halftime.
"The first half was tough," Auburn head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. "The first quarter was extremely tough. And when we're not hitting shots, unfortunately that kind of sets the tone for how the rest of the game goes. (South Carolina) loves to push in transition, and they get layups out of transition. When you're missing shots and then not getting back on defense, that gives up points in the paint."
Honesty Scott-Grayson led Auburn with 15 points while also pulling down four rebounds. Unique Thompson added 10 points and eight rebounds along with a team-leading three steals. And Romi Levy was 3-of-5 from 3-point range for a nine-point effort; she also had five rebounds and led Auburn with three assists. Alaina Rice added eight points.
A disastrous first 14 minutes saw Auburn make just two of its first 28 shots as the Gamecocks – who were 14-of-22 (63.6%) over that same stretch - led by more than 30 midway through the second quarter. But from the 6:00 mark of the second quarter on, the Tigers hit 21-of-38 shots (55.3%).
Auburn had its best day of the season taking care of the basketball, committing a season-low nine turnovers while forcing the Gamecocks into 17. The Tigers also hit 7-of-15 3-pointers (46.7%), its best percentage so far in SEC play. South Carolina pulled down 51 rebounds to Auburn's 29 and scored 44 points in the paint to the Tigers' 28.
Zia Cooke led South Carolina with 17 points. Aliyah Boston added 14 and Victaria Saxton had 11.
The Tigers host Missouri at noon CT Sunday in a game rescheduled from Jan. 10. Tickets from the original game date will be accepted, and tickets are available via AUBTix.com and at the Auburn Arena ticket office.
