AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn led by double digits early in the second half, but Tennessee took control the rest of the way to win the SEC opener 75-67 Thursday at Neville Arena, ending the Tigers' eight-game winning streak.
"I thought we came out tough," Auburn coach Johnnie Harris said. "In the second half we didn't come out with that same intensity and that same hunger. We missed shots, we missed layups and they go down and hit a 3. Those things were hard to overcome. The mistakes we made can be corrected. This team has a big upside so we'll get back in tomorrow, go to work and prepare for a tough A&M team."
Mar'shaun Bostic scored a season-high 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting to lead Auburn. Honesty Scott-Grayson added 16 and JaMya Mingo-Young scored 11. Rickea Jackson scored 24 points and grabbed 19 rebounds to lead Tennessee (8-5, 1-0).
Leading 40-32 at the half, Scott-Grayson's jumper put Auburn ahead by 10 before the Tigers missed 10 straight shots and the Lady Vols used a 13-0 run to take a three-point lead before Bostic hit a pair of free throws to end the drought.
Auburn made only one of its last 15 shots in the third quarter, missing a layup after a steal that would've pulled the Tigers within one. Instead, Tennessee quickly hit a 3-pointer at the other end to take a 54-48 lead heading to the fourth quarter, a pivotal possession.
Trailing by 12 points with 3:31 remaining in the game, Scott-Grayson scored six consecutive points to cut the lead in half with 1:44 to play. The Tigers forced a turnover but missed an opportunity to get closer when they missed a shot and were forced to foul.
The Tigers made 25 percent of their second-half shots while Tennessee shot 56 percent in the half and 50 percent in the game.
The Lady Vols maximized their size advantage by outrebounding Auburn 47-34. Auburn made 11 steals and forced 23 turnovers while committing only six and outscoring Tennessee 18-9 in points off turnovers but the difference in shooting percentages proved too much to overcome, along with the Lady Vols' 25-12 lead in fast-break points.
Bostic drove by her defender and scored to give Auburn a seven-point lead late in the first quarter before Tennessee answered with an 8-0 run.
Savannah Scott's putback with 12 seconds left put Auburn ahead 21-20 after an opening quarter that saw the visitors make 9 of 11 free throws while the Tigers attempted only three, making two.
Auburn scored the first eight points of the second quarter, eventually building a double-digit lead by using its season-long success formula of scoring off turnovers. Auburn forced nine turnovers in the second quarter and 14 in the half while committing only two to take a 14-5 lead in points off turnovers.
"I thought our defense was tenacious in the first half and in the fourth quarter at times," Harris said.
Mingo-Young's steal and layup put the Tigers on top 31-22 before Taylen Collins' bucket in the paint gave Auburn an 11-point lead, its largest of the game.
"In the first half we were attacking them," said Mingo-Young, who added five steals, four rebounds and two assists to her 11 points. "In the second half, we came out flat and they started to attack us and get downhill."
Auburn (11-3, 0-1) travels to College Station, Texas, to play Texas A&M Sunday at 3 p.m. CT on SEC Network and the Auburn Sports Network.
"They know we missed an opportunity," Harris said. "They'll be prepared a little better mentally now that they know what to look for. We'll get better from this."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
Auburn falls to Tennessee in SEC opener despite Bostic's season high
