AUBURN, Ala. (EETV) - Coach Johnnie Harris and the Auburn Tigers pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Auburn Arena history, defeating the No. 4 Tennessee Lady Vols 71-61. Going into the game Auburn had not defeated a top-five team in almost 25 years.
With the win, the Tigers break a 23 game losing streak in conference play. The win also comes as Johnnie Harris’ first conference win as Auburn’s head coach.
"I'm really proud of this team," Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris said. "We've been right there in so many ballgames. We've been talking to them about finishing. Once you experience what it feels like to break through and win that ballgame, to give everything you have for four quarters, then you understand that it's not insurmountable.
Aicha Coulibaly led the Tigers, scoring 26 points and pulling down seven rebounds to lead the Tigers. Three other Tigers scored in double-figures, Sania Wells scored 13 points, Jala Jordan added 11 points and Annie Hughes scored 10.
Turnovers were the deciding factor of the match with the Tigers forcing 22 turnovers while only giving the ball up nine times. Auburn would go on to score 25 of their 71 points off turnovers.
The Tigers were able to hold their own against the nation’s best rebounding team, Auburn was outrebounded by 13 but was able to generate 11 second-chance points compared to Tennessee’s nine.
"We were not afraid,” said Harris. “We didn't want them to be afraid. We wanted to go out and have fun, but we wanted to go to war. We wanted to put pressure on them, we wanted to make them uncomfortable, and I feel like we did that."
The team entered the second quarter in a one-point ball game but thanks to a 20-4 Auburn run the Tigers would take an 11 point lead heading into the half.
Tennessee answered in the third, opening up on a 14-2 run and taking the lead back from the Tigers with 5:08 left in the third quarter. The Lady Vols would outscore Auburn 23-11, the exact same margin they had been outscored by in the second.
The teams would enter the fourth quarter in a one-point ball game. The squads would trade baskets and with three minutes left in the game, it was still a one-possession contest. From there Annie Hughes hit a three to put the Tigers up 65-59 and the Lady Vols could never recover.
Auburn will be back in action Sunday afternoon when they travel to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT at Memorial Gym. The game will be available to stream on SEC Network +.
