The Auburn Tigers Women's Basketball team traveled to Colonial Life Arena to face off against the No. 2-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks. Before the game, South Carolina honored and retired the jersey of former Gamecock and reigning WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces. Wilson also met with the Auburn Tigers pregame to wish them luck. Despite their efforts, the Tigers fell to the Gamecocks 83-66 in their ninth SEC matchup.
The first quarter started with South Carolina jumping out to a quick 7-0 lead. However, Auburn responded with resilience, cutting the deficit to three points. The score stood at 9-6 in favor of South Carolina heading into the game’s first timeout. Auburn continued to battle throughout the quarter, making it the most competitive period of the game. By the end of the first, the Gamecocks led 23-18.
The Tigers were led by DeYona Gaston, who led all scorers in the quarter with 10 points. The Tigers shot an impressive 60% overall in the quarter to keep the game interesting.
The second quarter was a struggle for both teams compared to the first, but Auburn particularly found it challenging. No Tiger scored more than three points in the quarter, while Gamecocks forward Chloe Kitts led all scorers with seven. Celia Sumbane, DeYona Gaston, Yuting Deng, and Mar’shaun Bostic each contributed three points, accounting for all of Auburn’s scoring in the period.
Despite tying the game 27-27 in this quarter, the Tigers found themselves on the wrong side of momentum, with South Carolina going on a 13-3 run to end the half with a score of 40-30.
Auburn came out strong in the second half, opening with a 9-2 run to cut the deficit to just three points. However, the Gamecocks responded immediately with a 9-3 run of their own to push their lead back to nine. From that point on, both teams exchanged baskets in a back-and-forth third quarter.
Gaston continued her strong performance, scoring 10 of Auburn’s 19 third-quarter points, accounting for 53% of the team’s offense in the period. The Tigers also did a better job of limiting mistakes, committing only four turnovers—their lowest in any quarter. Despite their efforts, South Carolina ended the period with an 11-3 run, extending their lead to 62-49 heading into the final quarter.
The fourth quarter followed a similar pattern, with Auburn struggling to control possession and limit turnovers. The Gamecocks capitalized on Auburn’s mistakes, scoring efficiently off turnovers. Auburn also struggled with its shooting, making just 46% of its field goals, 33% from beyond the arc, and 67% from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, South Carolina remained highly efficient, shooting 67% overall and a perfect 100% from three-point range and at the free-throw line.
Gaston led Auburn’s scoring once again with eight points in the final quarter. She received additional contributions from Sumbane (3), Deng (2), Syriah Daniels (2), and Bostic (2), giving the Tigers 17 points in the period.
With the loss, Auburn fell to 2-7 in SEC play, bringing their overall record to 11-11. The Tigers will look to bounce back when they host the Texas A&M Aggies on Thursday, February 6, at 6 p.m.
