In the world of women’s college basketball, no conference is more difficult to pull off than the SEC. Between her extensive background in the league and her current position as the head coach of her Auburn program, no one knows this painful truth better than Johnny Harris. Through her six conferences, the first of her second season at the helm, the Tigers have found themselves losing every SEC contest.
For Harris and company, Sunday’s matchup against 16-3 Ole Miss Rebels provided an opportunity to overcome the hurdles that have put them in such trouble over the past month and a half.
In the early days, Tigers’ baskets had metaphorical lids. The group recorded his forgettable 21.4% field goal percentage, and he started the contest with just 12 points in the first quarter.
Despite going into the second period of the playdown, Auburn allowed their opponents to lead by up to 15 before deciding to increase the intensity of their defense and work the board. Behind the efforts of Honesty Scott-Grayson, Romi Levy and Aicha Coulibaly, the Tigers found themselves just within four points when the half came to a conclusion.
Equally impressive for redshirt senior Scott Grayson was the guard scoring his 1000th career point with a smooth stroke off the charity stripes.
The late Q2 momentum didn’t stop in Auburn’s second half as the group swooped in from an 8-point deficit and regained the lead for the first time since the opening minutes. The group shot more than 50% from the field in the third period, limited turnovers, got the ball into the bright red Koulibaly’s hands, and outscored the Rebs 24–12 in the third period alone.
As the fourth quarter began, Neville Arena had an energy unseen until this point in the 2022-23 season. The Tigers continued to play hard until the very end, having a back and forth contest, shooting 45 percent north from the field and pushing the contest into something more dramatic: overtime.
Describing the overtime period as a thriller might be an understatement for the season so far. Auburn and Ole his misses took turns swapping baskets and the Tigers ended up just one basket ahead of their opponents.
Ultimate difference? A 3-pointer created by Couribaly who finished her night with her eye-popping 31 points.
Harris and company build on Sunday’s clash with Ole Miss as the group headed to Lexington, Kentucky, to take on the ever-threatening Wildcats on the streets. It is set for 6:00 PM CT.
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