OXFORD, Miss. – Auburn fought back from an 18-point deficit to get within one point in the final minute but could not complete the comeback in a 58-55 loss at Ole Miss Thursday night.
A bucket-and-one from Honesty Scott-Grayson with 1:01 to play got the Tigers within one point at 54-53, and twice in the final minute the Tigers had the ball in the frontcourt with a chance to tie or take the lead. Scott-Grayson was fouled both times, making one shot each time to keep the deficit at one.
A pair of Rebel free throws with 12 seconds to play pushed the lead back to three, and the Tigers had an open look at a 3-pointer in the final seconds but could not connect.
"This team, I'm really proud of them for how tough they played," Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris said. "They battled back, and they didn't quit. We're right there. This is a really good team we played.
"In the last ballgame, we did not stay connected or intense the entire game. Tonight, I thought everybody stayed in the game and they were ready when I called their number. We made a couple of mistakes, but those kids played hard, they battled hard and they left it out on the floor. We will get better."
Scott-Grayson shook off early foul trouble to score a game-high 16 points; she was Auburn's only player in double figures. JaMya Mingo-Young and Celia Sumbane had nine points each, and Oyindamola Akinbolawa led the Tigers with six rebounds.
Auburn struggled from the field for three quarters, shooting just 22 percent through the first 30 minutes. But Auburn was 6-of-10 from the field and 9-of-11 at the free-throw line in the fourth quarter, holding Ole Miss to its worst-shooting period of the night and forcing six Rebel turnovers in the closing period as they mounted their comeback bid.
Ole Miss seemingly pulled away in the third quarter, taking advantage of eight Auburn turnovers and outscoring the Tigers 22-13 to turn a six-point halftime lead into a 15-point advantage.
But Sumbane went on an 8-0 run by herself to open the fourth period, pulling the Tigers to within 7 at 49-42 and forcing an Ole Miss timeout. Four more from Mingo-Young and a hard-fought layup from Taylen Collins cut the lead to three as Auburn outscored Ole Miss 14-2 over the first six minutes of the final period.
A low-scoring first half saw Ole Miss take a 27-21 lead at the break. Neither team could get much going from the field, and the Tigers were able to get within one possession on three occasions, but could never tie or take the lead.
For the game, Auburn shot a season-low 29.1 percent while the Rebels were at 40 percent. The Tigers forced 21 Ole Miss turnovers, a season-high for the Rebels, but Ole Miss out-rebounded the Tigers 43-35. Auburn was 20-of-24 at the free-throw line, finishing above 80 percent for the fifth time in the last six games.
Marquesha Davis led Ole Miss with 15 points, and Madison Scott added 10 with eight assists.
Auburn returns to the friendly confines of Neville Arena for its toughest test of the season so far as No. 7/4 LSU visits the Plains. Game time is 2 p.m. CT Sunday with a national broadcast on ESPN.
Tickets for Sunday's matchup are going fast; fans are encouraged to purchase in advance by visiting AUBTix.com.
Fourth-quarter comeback falls just short at Ole Miss
