Alabama
Auburn
Women's Basketball Drops 74-62 Decision at Auburn
1/14/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 14, 2010
AUBURN, Ala. - The women's basketball team cut a 21-point deficit to eight, but couldn't get any closer as the Tigers came out on top 74-62 Thursday night at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum. With the loss, the Crimson Tide drops to 8-9 on the season and 0-4 against Southeastern Conference foes, while Auburn improves to 11-6 overall and 2-2 in league play.
"I am proud of the way our team fought back tonight," said head coach Wendell Hudson. "They really gave it a great effort. I knew we were going to come back. I saw it in their eyes at halftime. It was a different look."
Freshman Celiscia Farmer notched the first double-figure scoring game of her career finishing with 18 points in the contest. She was 7-of-16 from the floor and a perfect 3-for-3 from the free throw line.
"Celiscia played in today's game like she's been practicing lately," explained Hudson. "She played really well tonight. We all knew she could do it."
Sophomore Ericka Russell and junior Tierney Jenkins also added double-figure points for Alabama with 14 and 10, respectively. Junior Varisia Raffington led the Tide in rebounds and assists with eight boards and four assists in the game. The Tigers were led on offense by junior Alli Smalley, who finished with 27 points. Senior KeKe Carrier dropped in 20 points as well for Auburn.
The Tigers used a 19-6 run beginning at 16:06 to pull ahead 30-12 at the midway mark in the first half. Auburn went on to lead by as many as 21 in the opening stanza, but Alabama rallied in the final five minutes with a 13-5 run to cut its deficit to 13 at the half. Farmer scored nine points during that stretch including a three-pointer that brought the Tide within 10 points at the 1:48 mark.
Alabama and Auburn traded baskets over the first few minutes of the second half with the Tigers holding a steady buffer. The Tide, however, began to make a run cutting the lead to eight points with a pair of free throws from Jenkins at the 8:07 mark. The Tigers then delivered an 11-4 run over the next four minutes to push the comeback out of reach for Alabama.
Auburn shot the ball well in the game connecting on 50.9 percent of its attempts. The Tigers were also clutch from beyond the arc hitting 7-of-16 three pointers. Auburn dominated points in the paint early in the contest and finished with 32 in comparison to the Tide's 20. Both teams committed 15 turnovers in the game, but Alabama capitalized slightly more than the Tigers did, outscoring Auburn 23-19 in points off turnovers. Despite the height difference inside, the Tigers managed just five more rebounds than the Tide at 39-34.
Alabama continues its two-game road swing Sunday, Jan. 17 when it takes on Kentucky in Lexington. Tipoff is slated for 1:00 p.m. (CST).
