STARKVILLE, Miss. – Auburn fought back from a 15-point deficit to take a third-quarter lead, but Mississippi State pulled away in the final 10 minutes for a 72-58 Bulldog win Thursday night at Humphrey Coliseum.
The Tigers shot 80 percent in the third quarter to turn an eight-point halftime deficit into a three-point lead, heading to the fourth quarter tied 47-all. State opened the fourth on a 7-0 run, Auburn would fight foul trouble yet still get as close as five with two minutes to play, but the Tigers could not close the gap as MSU made several free throws in the closing seconds.
"Just some mistakes down the stretch," Auburn coach Johnnie Harris said. "These kids, they worked so hard. They worked hard for this. I just feel bad that the mistakes we made, we put them on the foul line, we had some wide open shots we missed. We were up three for awhile but then couldn't knock down a shot.
Aicha Coulibaly, who missed the last two games, was huge in her return with a team-best 15 points, eight rebounds, four steals and four assists, leading the Tigers in all categories. Honesty Scott-Grayson added 12 points, and Sydney Shaw had nine. Mar'Shaun Bostic was a spark off the bench, scoring eight points along with three steals, three blocks and three rebounds.
The Tigers used strong defense during their third-quarter run and throughout the game, turning 15 MSU turnover into 19 points. Despite the stellar third quarter, Auburn shot 38.7% for the game to State's 46.2%. MSU also made a living at the free-throw line, hitting 21-of-32 attempts while Auburn was 5-for-11. State also won the rebounding battle 44-28.
Auburn came out firing in the third quarter, scoring on their first nine possessions and using a 10-0 run midway through the period to pull even at 36-36 with just over 5:00 to play. The Tigers would pull ahead 38-37 on a Kharyssa Richardson layup at the 4:47 mark, then would lead by as many as 3 on 3-pointers from Romi Levy and Sydney Shaw.
The first half was a tale of two quarters. Auburn was ice-cold the first 10 minutes as State took an 18-5 lead after one period. But the Tigers held State to just one field goal the first eight-plus minutes of the second, pulling within two points at 20-18 on a Scott-Grayson trey at the 2:00 mark. But the Bulldogs would end the quarter on a 6-0 run with two of the three buckets coming off Auburn turnovers, and State led 26-18 at the break.
MSU was led by Jessika Carter, who finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Jerkaila Jordan also had a double-double with 14 points and 12 boards.
The Tigers are back inside Neville Arena on Sunday, Jan. 22, to take on Ole Miss. Game time is 4 p.m. CT. It's the annual We Back Pat Game, and the first 500 fans can pick up a limited edition Neville Arena cup.
Auburn comeback falls just short at Mississippi State
