ATHENS, Ga. – DeYona Gaston put together another stellar performance, but Auburn could not hold onto a fourth-quarter lead as Georgia rallied for a 62-59 win Thursday night at Stegeman Coliseum.
The Tigers led by as many as nine points in the fourth and had a six-point lead with less than five minutes to go, but Georgia went on a 13-3 run to move ahead in the final two minutes.
A Yuting Deng 3-pointer with four seconds left cut the deficit to one, and after two made Georgia free throws, the Tigers had an opportunity to tie. Deng launched another 3-point attempt, but it was wide of the mark as time expired.
“We fought for three-and-a-half quarters,” Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris said. “We had some late turnovers, DeYona got her fourth foul early in the quarter, and then we had a hard time getting it across (half court). Those turnovers in the fourth quarter killed us.”
Gaston scored 26 points with six rebounds and a pair of assists. Deng added 16 points, knocking down four 3-pointers on the night. Mar’Shaun Bostic dished out eight assists.
Turnovers, especially late, proved to be the difference. Georgia scored 21 points off 17 Tiger turnovers, with nine of those points coming off six fourth-quarter giveaways. Both teams shot free throws well – Auburn at 84.6 percent (11-13) and Georgia at 79.2 percent (19-24).
Auburn took advantage of free throw opportunities early in the final period, taking their largest lead at 49-40 after two free throws apiece from Celia Sumbane and Taylen Collins. The lead would be six at 53-47 at the final media timeout with 4:47 to play.
From there, Georgia would go on a 9-3 run over the next three minutes, tying the game with 2:01 to play and taking their first lead since early in the first quarter with 1:38 left.
A 17-point first half from Gaston helped the Tigers to a 29-24 lead at the break. She was 8-of-11 from the floor in the opening 10 minutes.
Two quick buckets from Gaston and Celia Sumbane gave Auburn an 8-point lead to open the second quarter, their largest of the first 20 minutes, to force a quick Georgia timeout.
Auburn took its first lead on the first of two Deng 3-pointers in the first quarter at 7-6, and Georgia would not move back ahead until the final two minutes. Jordan Hunter, for the second straight game, hit a 3-pointer to beat the first-quarter buzzer to give Auburn a 15-11 lead through 10 minutes.
Auburn closes out the regular season Sunday, March 2, when they host Mississippi State at Neville Arena for Senior Day. Game time is 2 p.m. CT. Auburn’s four seniors - Mar’Shaun Bostic, Taylen Collins, DeYona Gaston and Celia Sumbane - will be recognized in a pregame ceremony that will begin at approximately 1:40 p.m.