On Wednesday, the Auburn Tigers suffered their first loss, 70-68, to the Oregon Ducks.
The game starts with Auburn winning the tip and drawing first blood with a second-chance three from Taliah Scott. Despite putting points on the board first, the Ducks kept the game interesting with a tight score throughout the first quarter.
Only three Tigers, DeYona Gaston, Celia Sumbane and Taliah Scott, scored in the first quarter, giving the Tigers 12. On the other end, five Ducks combined for nine to leave the score 12-9 in an uneventful first quarter.
The second quarter saw a spike in activity from both sides, each tallying double digits. In the first seven minutes of the period, Oregon goes on a 20-7 run, and it plateaus from there, with the total score of the second quarter ending at 24-15 in Oregon's favor.
Peyton Scott led the Ducks in the first half with 11 points, one rebound and two assists. Auburn's leading scorer in the first half of play was Taliah Scott, who scored eight points. Gaston followed her with five points and Akinbolawa scored the remaining two in the second quarter. The score at half was 33-27 Oregon.
The second-half shenanigans started with a dead-even quarter. The Tigers and Ducks fought hard, but neither team could separate from the other, bringing the third-quarter totals to 15 points apiece. Despite the even scoring, the Ducks dominated on the glass, outrebounding the Tigers 16-7.
Both teams had an even scoring distribution, with the leaders being Mar'shaun Bostic and Kaitlyn Duhon, with five for the Tigers. The Duck's leaders were Phillipina Kyei and Sarah Rambus, with five apiece.
Finally, in the fourth, the Tigers held their own, outscoring the Ducks. Despite that, the Ducks outhustled Auburn with rebounds and assists, all while playing smart and committing fewer fouls, too.
The fourth-quarter fight brought by the Tigers was led by Taliah Scott, who exploded for 14 points and shot 100 percent from the charity stripe. Sumbane, Gaston, Bostic, Collins and Duhon all combined for ten, giving Auburn 24 in the fourth.
The Duck's dominance was spread amongst six players to give them 20 in the quarter. This was just enough to escape regulation with a two-point win against the Tigers 70-68.
The Tigers look to bounce back on Friday as they travel to Haas Pavillion as they take on the California Golden Bears, with tipoff beginning at 8 p.m. This will be the second of six straight games on the road.
