GREENVILLE, S.C. – Auburn fell behind early and could never recover in a 78-48 loss to No. 8/5 LSU in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals Friday night at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
"Tonight was tough," Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris said. "We came out and they jumped on us. We turned the ball over and they got going in transition. It just took us awhile to get going tonight.
"But this team has been resilient. We haven't had a loss like this. This team has bounced back. I believe they will (again). They're a great group of players. I love coaching them and I believe in them. So I believe they'll bounce back."
McKenna Eddings led Auburn with a career-high 15 points, knocking down three 3-pointers. JaMya Mingo-Young and Sydney Shaw added eight points each.
LSU pulled away at the free throw line, hitting 27-of-31 attempts while Auburn attempted just six, making four. Auburn was 30 percent from the field (20-67) while LSU shot 46 percent (23-50). LSU also scored 22 points off 19 Auburn turnovers.
LSU opened the game on a 21-0 run and led 27-5 after one quarter as Auburn made just one of 17 shot attempts in the opening 10 minutes. The Tigers kept things closer in the second quarter but still trailed 43-19 at the half. Auburn outscored LSU in the fourth quarter 17-9.
Flau'jae Johnson led LSU with 25 points, and Angel Reese finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Auburn (20-11) will now await an expected postseason bid. The NCAA selection show is Sunday, March 17.
