Mizzou Overwhelmed by Auburn Defense in Third Straight Loss

Not long ago, Missouri's season was on an incline, charging toward a potential bid into the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Since then, a three-game win streak was derailed by the brutality of the Southeastern Conference. Since its loss to Georgia on Feb. 8, the Tigers have struggled to find their footing.

Missouri (16-12, 4-9 in SEC) continued its downward spiral with a 71-58 loss to Auburn on its own home floor. Even with a full week of rest, the hometown Tigers seemed unprepared. The hounding defense of Auburn left Kellie Harper's squad, with a season-worst 30 turnovers, in the dust as Missouri stumbled out of the blocks.

The Tigers of Columbia played a sluggish brand of basketball as it returned starting center Jordana Reisma to the floor. Reisma missed three games with a lower-body injury and marked just her second game of the month. Missouri, which typically runs a fast-paced offense, appeared to be at full strength ahead of the matchup. Prepared to play to their signature style, Missouri was left in shock as Auburn matched the attack with an even more ferocious defensive flurry.

Auburn senior Kaitlyn Duhon ranks among the nation's best irritants on the defensive end, boasting a top-15 average in steals per game, recording just over three each time out. On Thursday, Duhon reached that average in the first five minutes at Mizzou Arena. A menace in the passing lanes and an on-ball pest, Duhon set the tone early by disrupting the Missouri ball-handlers in transition.

To add fuel to the fire, the Missouri Tigers shot themselves in the foot with unforced turnovers. Traveling violations, lost handles and stepping out of bounds, the Tigers racked up 12 turnovers in just the first quarter. To put things in perspective, Missouri only forces 12 opposing turnovers per game.

"You cannot start a game with 12 turnovers in the first quarter," Harper said. "Their [Auburn] ball pressure was good, and I thought it disrupted our vision to see an open man."

An eight-point first quarter alluded to an all-around disaster for Missouri. However, the Tigers made the most of their shot attempts as the game progressed. The score and abysmal ball control overlook the otherwise efficient affair for Missouri. The outing proved to be one of the most efficient shooting performances of the season, tied for second-best field goal percentage at .571.

Auburn's defensive masterclass proved the age-old theory that "defense wins games" is accurate. The visitors shot an unappealing 37% from the field but made the most of their extended opportunities, taking nearly twice as many shots as Missouri. Auburn attempted 69 shots compared to Missouri's 35, which marked a season low.

Grace Slaughter attempted the largest share of the Tigers' shots, making 7-9 and continuing her season-long double-digit scoring streak by posting a game-high 19 points, matched only by Duhon of the visitors. In her return, Reisma stood as the only other Missouri player to finish in double figures. She added 10 points while posting a team-leading seven rebounds.

The turnovers were a collective struggle for Missouri, with six separate players recording at least three turnovers. Shannon Dowell had the worst of it. As a primary target of Auburn's attack, Dowell coughed up the ball nine times, one shy of Auburn's team turnover total ,which was minus 20 to the home team.

Missouri faces its toughest back-to-back of the season, matching up with a pair of goliaths for its final two road games of the regular season. The Tigers will first travel to Louisiana and take on No. 7 LSU at 3 p.m. on Sunday in Baton Rouge. Following that, Missouri will make its way to South Carolina and face the No. 3 Gamecocks at 7 p.m. on Thursday on the road. To close out conference play, the Tigers host No. 11 Oklahoma on senior night at 3 p.m. on Sunday at Mizzou Arena to cap off the late-season gauntlet.

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