AUBURN, Ala. – DeYona Gaston continued her torrid scoring with 30 points but Auburn dropped its SEC opener to No. 25 Ole Miss 85-58 Thursday at Neville Arena.
“We’ve had a lot of adversity this week,” said Auburn coach Johnnie Harris, whose team practiced with six healthy players before the game. “We played like we practiced. I’ve got to get some people healthy so we can get after it in practice so we can translate that to the game.”
Gaston, the nation’s sixth leading scorer, was 8-of-15 from the floor and 14-for-17 from the free-throw line in 36 minutes, reaching the 30-point mark for the third time this season.
“D was the one bright spot,” Harris said of Gaston. “This kid battled and put us on our back. She’s a really tough matchup. We’ve got to get her some help.”
“She moves so well,” Ole Miss coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin said. “She has guard-like skills and really good touch around the rim. Her actively level is her greatest strength.”
“I’m always going to be ready, no matter what teams comes up,” said Gaston, who scored at least 23 points for the fifth consecutive game. “I practice at the rim a lot.”
Auburn struggled to find much offense other than Gaston, committing 29 turnovers while compiling only seven assists.
Points off turnovers – Auburn’s bread and butter under Harris – went to Ole Miss by a dramatic 37-10 differential that equaled the Rebels’ margin of victory.
“I’m really disappointed in our turnovers,” Harris said. “Poor decisions. We were making soft passes, and we weren’t getting to the right spots at the right time.”
Trailing 45-20 at the half, the Tigers exceeded their first-half scoring output and matched Ole Miss by scoring 21 points in the third quarter.
After trailing by 30 points late in the third quarter, Auburn scored the first nine points of the fourth quarter to pull within 16 midway through the fourth quarter before the Rebels regained momentum with a 15-2 run.
Mar’shaun Bostic scored the game’s first points on a steal and layup in what would be Auburn’s only lead.
Bostic, who finished with 11 points, scored the Tigers’ first six points to keep Auburn close until the Rebels made six straight shots during a 12-0 run.
Ole Miss (10-3, 1-0) shot 64.3 percent in the first quarter, including a trio of 3-pointers, to lead 26-10 after the opening period.
The Rebels scored the first four points of the second quarter to push their lead to 20, taking advantage of 13 Auburn turnovers to outscore the Tigers 18-2 in points off turnovers in the first half.
Known for their defense, the Rebels also displayed a nice outside shooting touch, making 7 of 15 3-point attempts.
Another ranked opponent awaits Auburn (9-5, 0-1) Sunday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, when the Tigers take on No. 6 LSU at 3 p.m. CT at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer