FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.— The SEC women’s basketball regular season came to a close Sunday afternoon as Auburn fell at Arkansas, 70-41, at Bud Walton Arena.
“I thought (Arkansas) came out hungry, desperate and ready to play,” Auburn head coach Larry Vickers said. “I told them before the game that records don’t matter. We already struggle to win on the road. The hungrier team, the team that wants it the most, is going to be the team that wins. And, clearly, we weren’t close to as hungry as that Arkansas group was today.”
Harissoum Coulibaly led the Tigers with 15 points; she was the only Auburn player in double figures. Kaitlyn Duhon had seven rebounds, and Ja’Mia Harris had three assists.
The Tigers struggled offensively, shooting 28 percent from the floor and making just one of 20 3-point attempts. Turnovers proved costly as Arkansas converted 20 Auburn turnovers into 16 points. Auburn won the rebounding battle 40-39.
Arkansas, meanwhile, shot 41.7 percent both from the field and from 3-point range, making
Arkansas led 20-10 after one period as Auburn struggled with turnovers in the early-going. It would be 23-10 three minutes into the second as the Tigers turned it over on three of five possessions early in the period.
Offense continued to be a struggle for both teams as Arkansas narrowly outscored Auburn 9-7 in the second to take a 29-17 halftime lead. Auburn had 14 turnovers in the first half, leading to 10 Razorback points.
Arkansas would lead 50-31 after three quarters and extend their lead to as many as 30 in the fourth.
Wyvette Mayberry led Arkansas with a season-high 25 points on her senior day, and Taleyah Jones added 18.
Auburn will be the No. 15 seed in next week’s SEC Tournament. The Tigers will face 10th-seeded Texas A&M in the first round Wednesday, March 4, at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. Game time is set for 5 p.m. CT with the broadcast on SEC Network and the Auburn Sports Network.