AUBURN, Ala. – In a game that saw nine ties and 14 lead changes, Auburn was unable to hold onto a halftime lead as Alabama found its shooting touch in the second half, leading to a 75-68 Crimson Tide win Sunday at Auburn Arena.
A crowd of 4,196 fans – the third-largest for women's basketball in Auburn Arena history – were on hand to witness a celebration of the program's history and the unveiling of a banner honoring longtime coach Joe Ciampi.
"Well-deserved," Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris said of the recognition of Coach Ciampi. "And it probably should have happened a long time ago. But we were happy to be a part of that.
"Special crowd. I just really appreciate them so much. They were in the game. I felt like they were in the game the whole time. I just hope they'll stay with us. We'll continue to coach better and teach better, and hopefully get this team over the hump.
In addition, dozens of former players, coaches, managers and support staff were on hand for the program's Alumni Weekend, which included a reception Saturday night and on-court recognition at Sunday's game.
The Tigers shot 47.5 percent from the floor, their best in SEC play, and were dead even with the Tide in rebounds and turnovers. But Alabama knocked down seven 3-pointers, tying for the most by an Auburn opponent this year, and took advantage of opportunities at the free-throw line, hitting 24-of-33 attempts to Auburn's 10-for-16.
"We gave up three offensive rebounds in a row when we were up, then we came down and missed two layups," Harris said. "That's just toughness. That's just finishing. I tried to use my timeouts so they would have a break, trying to remind them to finish. We just had a few mental lapses, and I've got to do a better job preparing them for that situation."
Aicha Coulibaly led Auburn in scoring for the fourth straight game, hitting for 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting. She filled the stat sheet with seven rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocks. Precious Johnson, making her first start at home, led the Tigers with eight rebounds along with nine points.
Honesty Scott-Grayson scored 13 points, and Sania Wells added 10. Mar'Shaun Bostic, making her first career start, posted a game-high four assists.
A back-and-forth first half saw Auburn end the second quarter on an 8-3 run to take a 36-31 lead at the break. A Scott-Grayson mid-range jumper boosted the Tigers' lead to seven early in the third, but two Alabama possessions later, the Tide had cut the lead to one on their first of five second-half 3-pointers.
Trailing 55-54 after three, Auburn opened the fourth quarter with a Xaria Wiggins 3-pointer and a Coulibaly layup to put Auburn back up by four. The teams would trade buckets over the next four-plus minutes, and the score was tied 63-63 with just over five minutes to play. But a Brittany Davis 3-pointer to push Alabama's lead to 67-63 a minute later was a dagger that Auburn was unable to overcome as the Tigers made just one field goal the rest of the way.
Davis led Alabama with 24 points, and Khyla Wade-Warren added 15 off the bench.
It will be a quick turnaround and a busy week for the Tigers. Auburn will be back on the court Tuesday as the Kentucky Wildcats visit Auburn Arena for a 7 p.m. CT tip, then two days later, it will be a third home game in five days as No. 5 Tennessee is in town Thursday night. Tickets for both games and all remaining Auburn home games are available at AUBTix.com.
Big crowd, tough loss for Tigers vs. Alabama
