AUBURN, Ala. (EETV)- Auburn Women’s Basketball honored four members of the team for Senior Day as the Tigers hosted Mississippi State in Neville for the last home game of the season. Auburn looked for a comeback during Sunday’s game as their last meeting at Mississippi State ended in the Bulldog’s favor with a 40-point win over the Tigers.
Auburn’s efforts were not enough to tighten up their record before the SEC Tournament after a six-game losing streak. Closing the first quarter with a 17-9 lead over the Bulldogs, the last three quarters featured the Tigers being outscored.
The first half of the game featured a strong defense for the Tigers.
“I thought our defense was really good and I thought we were able to create some mismatches.” Women’s Basketball Head Coach Johnnie Harris stated. “I think we did a pretty good job of taking care of the ball.”
Compared to the Bulldogs’s 23 turnovers, Auburn held control for a total of 13 turnovers. The Tigers were able to take those turnover opportunities to gain 20 points of Mississippi State. However, the second half slump got the best of the Tigers. Opening the third, the Bulldogs got an early run off of the Tiger turnovers for two three’s.
Fourth quarter foul trouble accounted for six Bulldog points in the final 5:53 minutes of play which secured a strong lead, and ultimately the win for Mississippi State.
Senior Mar’Shaun Bostic reached another career milestone on Sunday as she became the fifth Auburn Women’s Basketball program history with 300+ assists and 200+ steals.
“She was getting people where they needed to be, finding the mismatches, finding the right reads.” Coach Johnnie Harris stated, “I thought Mar’Shaun came in and she was focused and ready to go. I thought she was really good.”
Flirting with a triple-double, Bostic closed with ten rebounds, eight assists, six steals, and 13 points for the Tigers.
Auburn’s leading scorer, DeYona Gaston collected 33 points for her fifth 30-point game of the season. “DeYona always shows up. She’s just tough.” Coach Harris stated. Gaston also went 7-8 on the line, pushing the team’s free throw percentage to 77.78%. Coach Harris spoke on Gaston’s offensive presence, “She has a pro-mentality when it comes to her workout, when it comes to her regimen. Being ready. I think she’ll be able to translate that to the next level.”
Going 3-9 on 3PT, freshman Yuting Deng added nine points to the Tiger’s score from three point shots alone.
Auburn advances into the SEC Tournament, hoping to break their six-game losing streak after falling to Mississippi State 73-66.
Coach Harris discussed the team's advancement to the SEC Tournament, “It is going to have to be a total team effort. And if we do that, we’ll be able to come out. We’ll at least have a chance.”
The Tiger’s first opponent in the tournament is Florida on March 5.
