AUBURN, Ala. – Jessica Peterson notched her first Auburn double-double and took control in the fourth quarter to lead the Tigers to a hard-fought 56-48 over Southern Miss Thursday at Neville Arena.
“Offensively, you can see we’re still learning each other,” Auburn coach Larry Vickers said. “Huge rebounding night from Jessica Peterson. That’s what we brought her here to do: be a senior, be a leader, somebody who’s been in these close games. She did a tremendous job.”
Peterson scored the Tigers’ first six points of the fourth quarter, finishing with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting and 19 rebounds.
Danielle Osho led Auburn in scoring for the second straight game with 16 points, matching her total from the season opener, adding seven rebounds and three blocked shots.
On a night when both defenses had the upper hand, Auburn made five consecutive shots in the first quarter to take a lead it would not relinquish.
Osho and Sania Richardson both made reverse layups to help the Tigers take an 18-11 lead after the first quarter.
Playing without all-SEC defender Kaitlyn Duohn, the Tigers held the Golden Eagles without a field goal for nearly 10 minutes in the first half, forcing 13 consecutive missed shots.
Osho’s second-chance 3-pointer gave Auburn a 12-point lead early in the second quarter. The sophomore transfer from Miami made both the game’s only 3-pointers.
Leading 32-24 at the half, Auburn made only two field goals in the third quarter and saw Southern Miss close the gap to two points heading to the final 10 minutes.
That’s when Peterson took over, making back-to-back bank shots in the paint, one with each hand, to give Auburn a 46-40 lead and a bit of breathing room.
“It was super important, helping get this team a win,” said Peterson, who ranked No. 4 nationally in rebounds two seasons ago at SMU. “My guards were looking for me. It takes a team effort to see the open man and dominate inside.”
The Golden Eagles did not go back to Hattiesburg without a fight. Southern Miss made a pair of free throws, then a steal and layup to pull within two once more midway through the fourth quarter.
Auburn’s Syriah Daniels made several key plays down the stretch, grabbing a defensive rebound and feeding Osho for a transition layup that put Auburn ahead 50-46 with two minutes to play.
A minute later, Daniels converted on her only attempt of the night, scoring a layup with 1:05 remaining for a six-point Auburn lead.
The second-generation Tiger then made a steal with 24 seconds to play to secure Auburn’s victory.
“Huge plays,” Vickers said. “Our forward room is really good. There’s been so many instances where she makes huge plays for us defensively in the clutch.”
Ja’Mia Harris made six three throws in the fourth quarter, going 8-for-10 from the line and tying Peterson with 14 points.
Auburn held Southern Miss to 22.4-percent shooting, including 0-for-17 from 3-point range.
“We did a pretty good job overall for 90 percent of the game of sticking to our scouts and understanding our closeouts,” Vickers said. “When we grab the first rebound, we’re a pretty good defensive team. Early we didn’t do that but late we did.“
Off to a 2-0 start for the fifth consecutive season, Auburn concludes its three-game homestand Tuesday when the Tigers host Furman at 11 a.m. CT at Neville Arena for the program's annual Education Day, welcoming thousands of local elementary school students.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer