NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A hot-shooting Vanderbilt team pulled away early as Auburn fell to the Commodores 81-66 Sunday afternoon at Memorial Gym.
The Tigers ran into early foul and turnover trouble, and Vanderbilt could hardly miss, hitting 20-of-23 shots over a 17-minute stretch to build a 25-point halftime lead they would not relinquish.
Auburn was able to cut what had been as much as a 27-point deficit down to as few as 12 late in the fourth, but the Tigers could get no closer despite their highest-scoring second half of the year.
"We played like we practiced," Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris said. "I kind of saw this coming. We don't have the kind of team that can't prepare, we have to prepare for games like this. I didn't think we prepared well. But that's the sign of an inexperienced team.
"On the offensive end, we missed shots, then on the defensive end, we missed assignments. We had five total rebounds and zero offensive rebounds in the first half. That's a lack of effort, a lack of toughness. We were playing on our heels tonight."
Aicha Coulibaly led Auburn with 21 points, scoring 15 of those in the second half, and Honesty Scott-Grayson added 14. Each player had a team-leading five rebounds. Mar'Shaun Bostic and Annie Hughes had four assists apiece, and Coulibaly led the Tigers with four steals. Jala Jordan added nine points and three blocks.
Auburn forced Vandy into 27 turnovers, converting those into 23 points, but the Commodores took greater advantage of early Auburn miscues, converting 15 turnovers into 24 points. Vandy shot a season-best 58.3 percent from the field and knocked down 7-of-10 3-point attempts. Auburn, meanwhile, hit for 44 percent from the floor. The Tigers were held to a season-low 23 rebounds.
Auburn jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first three-plus minutes, but the next 17 would be all Vanderbilt. An 11-0 run led to the first media timeout, and a further 11-2 finish to the quarter gave Vandy a 22-9 lead after one period. Turnovers and foul trouble continued to plague the Tigers – along with Vanderbilt shooting 73 percent from the floor – as the Commodores extended their lead to 46-21 at the half. Vandy missed its first four shots of the game, then hit 20 of their next 23.
That lead would grow to as much as 27 points in the third quarter as the Commodores took a 64-40 lead to the final period. Auburn would go on a 20-7 run over the first eight minutes of the fourth, cutting the deficit to 12, but the Tigers could get no closer.
Brinae Alexander had 24 points and Iyana Moore added 22 to lead Vanderbilt. Jordyn Cambridge had 19 points and 10 rebounds.
The Tigers are back in action Thursday night as they host Mississippi State. Game time is 7 p.m. CT at Auburn Arena.
