Tigers close 15-point gap, drop heartbreaker to Arkansas
Auburn women's basketball has been no stranger to dramatic finishes throughout its 2022-23 season. Between a pair of thrilling victories over the likes of Kentucky and Ole Miss and gut-wrenching losses to Georgia Tech and Mississippi State, second-year head coach Johnnie Harris' squad has been through it all.
Sunday afternoon's clash with Arkansas was no different; the Tigers found themselves on the losing end of a rock fight, dropping the contest 54-51 despite completing a 15-point comeback in the second half.
Auburn got out to an abysmal start from the field in the first quarter, knocking down just one of its 16 attempts and being outclassed by its opponent 16-5; however, the group was able to regain its feel for the basket in the second quarter of play, posting 14 points to Arkansas additional 16.
Tigers' star point guard Honesty Scott-Grayson was proud of her team's ability to not lose focus on the task at hand.
"Having a mentality of not quitting," Scott-Grayson said. "Fighting to stay in the game. Having that mentality of trying to stay together and get the job done."
When the orange and blue returned to the floor following the halftime intermission, it was clear that the group had not given up on itself, despite trailing by 15. Auburn hit its stride from the field, closing the game on a combined 10-for-27 effort, effectively closing the gap and putting the group in the position to win with a pair of late-game free throws.
Unfortunately for the group, Auburn missed the pair at the stripe, a trend which coach J acknowledged as a detrimental effort throughout the contest.
"At the end of the day, we're 14 of 27 on free throws," Harris said. "We got to the line, we just didn't make them. We missed 13. If we make five of those, it's a different ballgame."
Harris noted that — regardless of the outcome — her group played their brand of basketball throughout the duration of the second half.
"We played hard in the second half," Auburn coach said. "We closed that gap, we got steals, we caused turnovers, we caused them to rush shots. This is the way we want to play."
Now parked at 3-7 in SEC play, Auburn will prepare to play host to women's basketball's most feared team — the South Carolina Gamecocks — on Thursday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. CT on SEC Network plus and the Auburn Sports Network.
