AUBURN, Ala.— Auburn forced 25 turnovers and held No. 23 Tennessee eight points below its scoring average, but the Lady Vols spoiled the Tigers’ SEC home opener, winning 73-56 Sunday at Neville Arena.
“Going into conference play, the first quarter was something we had owned,” Auburn coach Larry Vickers said. ‘The first quarter was ours. We’ve got to figure out a way to get back to winning those. That’s going to be my priority going into our next game.”
Khady Leye led Auburn with 14 points on 7-for-14 shooting while grabbing a team-high six rebounds.
“I was really pleased,” Vickers said. “She was able to finish as she got to her spots.”
Leye set the tone for her strong outing by opening the scoring with a baseline jumper. It took high-scoring Tennessee only four seconds to answer with a 3-point play at the other end.
“The pace they got the ball up in the first quarter really bothered us,” Vickers said. “After a few possessions we settled in, but we dug ourselves a hole.”
Leye drove the lane for another early bucket before Auburn endured a scoring drought of four and a half minutes while missing nine straight shots.
A’riel Jackson made a steal and drove coast-to-coast for a layup that ended the dry spell and pulled the Tigers within four points.
Tennessee made three 3-pointers in the next 90 seconds to take a 22-9 lead after the first quarter.
“It was big to see some go in in the first quarter,” Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell said. “They’re (Auburn) athletic, they play fast. I think they’re going to fit well in the SEC.”
After falling behind by 15 early in the second quarter, the Tigers rallied, making four consecutive shots and trimming Tennessee’s lead to seven.
Jackson’s 3-pointer started a 7-0 run that included layups from Leye and Quanirah Montague.
The Vols restored their lead to double digits when Nya Robertson banked in a deep 3-pointer.
Tennessee made 7 of 10 3-point attempts in the first half, including a perfect 4-for-4 for the Pauldo twins, freshmen Mya and Mia, who each swished both of their 3-point shots.
Trailing by 15 points at the half, Leye and Kaitlyn Duhon scored the first two baskets of the third quarter. Mya Petticord followed with a 3-pointer to keep the Tigers within striking distance.
Eight Tiger turnovers in the quarter helped Tennessee use an 8-0 run to take a 61-38 lead into the final quarter.
Auburn outscored Tennessee 18-12 in the fourth quarter to account for the 17-point final margin.
Talaysia Cooper scored a game-high 18 points and Janiah Barker added 17 for Tennessee (10-3, 2-0).
With leading scorer Harissoum Coulibaly expected to return from an injury, Auburn (11-5, 0-2) returns to the road Thursday, traveling to Austin to take on No. 2 Texas at 7 p.m. CT at the Moody Center.
“We have to work harder,” Vickers said. “We haven’t played our best basketball. It’s a combination of both. We’ll continue to get in here and work on our shot. We can’t shoot 2-for-16 (from 3-point range) at home. That can’t happen. We have to do a better job of making 3s; that will extend defenses and open up space.”
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer