KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Auburn’s DeYona Gaston picked up her sixth double-double of the season, but No. 15 Tennessee’s depth was too much as the Tigers fell 99-61 Thursday night at Thompson-Boling Arena.
“Their depth just wore us down,” Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris said. “We were trying to run with them, and I think we got caught up in playing their game instead of getting it down the court and trying to run something. That’s the way they’re built, and that’s their game.”
Gaston finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds to lead all scorers in the game. It was the 13th time this year for Gaston to top the 20-point mark.
Yuting Deng started hot and finished with 13 points. Taylen Collins had nine with three steals, and Mar’Shaun Bostic recorded eight assists.
Tennessee hit an SEC-season high 14 3-pointers and shot 56 percent from the field (39-70) while Auburn was 43 percent from the field (24-56). The Lady Vols turned 21 Auburn turnovers into 22 points.
Paced by a pair of 3-pointers and 10 points from Deng, Auburn kept pace in the first quarter and trailed by just two, 22-20, after 10 minutes.
But the fast-paced Lady Vols found their stroke in the second quarter, shooting 73 percent (11-15) and controlling the paint as they expanded their lead to 16 at the break, 50-34. Auburn was just one made shot below 50 percent for the half, but Tennessee knocked down five 3-pointers and maximized their possessions with eight offensive rebounds that led to seven second-chance points.
The Tigers would get as close as 11 points in the third quarter, but Tennessee finished the period on a 10-2 run. The fourth quarter would be all Tennessee, however, as they were 6-of-8 from 3-point range in the period while Auburn made just three shots in the final 10 minutes.
Five scored in double-figures for Tennessee, led by 17 points from Jewel Spear.
Auburn plays one of its two remaining home games Sunday, Feb. 16, as the Vanderbilt Commodores visit Neville Arena. Game time is 3 p.m. CT; it’s the annual College Vault Throwback Game with a retro theme and a bucket hat giveaway for students.