GREENVILLE, S.C. – JaMya Mingo-Young flirted with a triple-double as Auburn pulled away in the second half for a 67-48 win over Arkansas in the second round of the SEC Tournament Thursday night.
Auburn (20-10) shook off a slow start and went on a 12-0 run late in the second quarter to take a lead they would never surrender, and the Tigers' defense stood tall in the final 20 minutes, holding the Razorbacks to just 21 points in the second half.
"Just really proud of my team for how hard they played in the second half," Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris said. "We had a meeting at halftime. I didn't think they were playing very hard … following our game plan. I thought they came out in the second half and played a lot harder, played Auburn women's basketball.
"Really proud of them holding a team like Arkansas to 48 points, it's not easy."
It was Harris' first SEC Tournament win as a head coach and marked the Tigers' first win in the SEC Tournament since 2020.
"It feels good to finally get one," Harris said. "This team has worked really hard. It started with those players that came back that believed in us, believed in our vision, believed in our style of play. Then the nine that didn't play for us last year, they came in and knew how we wanted to play. They believed in the game, in the vision. They went to work."
Three players were in double figures for the Tigers, all with 11 points. Mingo-Young led the way with 11 points, eight rebounds and a season-high eight assists.
"(We were) playing well as a team, playing hard," Mingo-Young said. "(Coach Harris) got onto us at halftime. The second half we needed to focus more on the defensive so we could get out and run in transition and do what we do best to score the ball."
Sydney Shaw knocked down three 3-pointers to finish with 11 points, and Mar'Shaun Bostic had her second straight game in double figures with 11 points along with three assists and three steals.
Defense ruled the day in the second half as Arkansas was held to just two field goals in the third quarter and 21 points for the half. A low-scoring third quarter saw Auburn take a 44-35 lead to the final period.
Auburn's transition game took advantage of a tired Arkansas defense in the fourth as Kaitlyn Duhon scored all nine of her points in the final period. Five of those came in a 10-0 Auburn run midway through the period that put the game away.
The teams traded buckets the first five minutes of the second quarter, but McKenna Eddings and Shaw would score 10 of Auburn's 12-0 run over the next four minutes, giving the Tigers an 11-point lead. A buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Arkansas would cut the lead to 33-27 at the half.
Arkansas jumped out to a 7-0 lead, but Auburn chipped away, scoring eight points off five Arkansas turnovers and taking their first lead on a Savannah Scott layup in the final minute; that lead would remain 14-13 after one.
Samara Spencer, Jenna Lawrence and Makayla Daniels all scored 13 points to lead the shorthanded Razorbacks.
The Tigers will face second-seeded LSU for the third time this season Friday night in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. Tip is set for 5 p.m. CT/6 p.m. ET with the broadcast on SEC Network and the Auburn Sports Network.
Auburn shuts down Arkansas 67-48, advances in SEC Tournament
