AUBURN, Ala. – SEC Player of the Week DeYona Gaston delivered her fifth double-double, and shorthanded Auburn rallied valiantly in the fourth quarter before falling to Norfolk State 63-57 Sunday, the Tigers’ first loss at Neville Arena this season.
“We attacked them,” Auburn coach Johnnie Harris said. “We tried to get the ball inside. D (Gaston) went to work. She was hampered a little bit, but she gave me everything she had. Getting to the free-throw line and getting some wide-open looks was the difference in the fourth quarter. Mar’shaun (Bostic) creating some things helped us a lot.”
Trailing by 17 points early in the fourth quarter, Auburn pulled within three with 1:38 to play before the visiting Spartans held on to end the Tigers’ four-game winning streak.
Playing without injured starters Kaitlyn Duhon, Taylen Collins and Taliah Scott, Auburn had trouble finding offense beyond Gaston, who scored a game-high 29 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
“She goes to work,” Harris said. “She’s always in the gym and watching film. She puts herself in potion to be successful. I’ve got to get somebody to come help her.”
Trailing by seven at the half, the Tigers’ deficit doubled to 14 in the third quarter when Auburn made only 2 of 10 shots.
The Tigers were down by 17 before Gaston’s 3-point-play trimmed Auburn’s deficit to 10 with 5:23 to play.
Mar’shaun Bostic’s layup and Gaston’s free throw capped a 10-0 run that pulled Auburn within seven at 52-45 with 4:07 remaining.
Bostic’s acrobatic drive and pair of free throws, sandwiched between a second-chance Norfolk State bucket, cut the Spartans’ lead to six.
Gaston’s jumper in the paint pulled the Tigers within four at 56-52 with 2:10 to play. After Diamond Johnson banked in a floater for the Spartans, Young made Auburn’s only 3-pointer of the game to get Auburn within three with 1:38 remaining.
Norfolk’s Niya Fields answered with a 3-pointer 30 seconds later, her only bucket of the game, to put the Spartans ahead 61-55 with 1:08 to play.
Jordan Hunter hit a pair of free throws, but Norfolk State scored after an offensive rebound to lead by 63-57 with 30 seconds remaining, and late turnovers prevented Auburn from getting closer.
Bostic supplied eight of Auburn’s 10 assists and scored six of her 11 points in the fourth quarter.
Norfolk State outrebounded Auburn 42-33, with half of those boards coming on offense, leading to a decisive 21-14 advantage in second-chance points.
“The story of the game is their offensive rebounding,” Harris said. “We got stops but they got second opportunities. A lot of their 36 points in the paint came from their second-chance opportunities.”
Auburn forced 22 turnovers but converted them into only 14 points.
“Really disappointed,” Harris said. “We had a pretty decent crowd for school being out, so I thank those fans for coming out. We’ve got to play better. We’ll watch film and correct some things going into SEC play.”
Auburn trailed 17-10 after a rough first quarter that saw the Tigers commit six turnovers and shoot 30 percent from the floor. Gaston scored seven points in each of the first two quarters.
Norfolk State’s half-court trap bothered Auburn in the first half leading to 10 turnovers and 12 points.
The Spartans took a double-digit lead with the game’s first 3-pointer before Auburn used a 6-0 run to pull within four.
Da’Brya Clark banked in a 30-foot buzzer beater to give Nortolk State a 31-24 halftime lead.
Auburn (9-4) opens Southeastern Conference play Thursday at 6 p.m. CT when No. 25 Ole Miss visits Neville Arena.
“Hopefully we can get a couple players back,” Harris said. “We’ll have to watch film and put them in a position to be better. I’ve got to do a better job of coaching and teaching these point guards. I have to get them better.”
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer