Tennessee Lady Vols lose first SEC game of the season to last-place Auburn
AUBURN, Ala. – Just hours after the Tennessee Lady Vols were announced as a projected No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, they lost their first SEC game of the season to last-place Auburn on Thursday night.
The 71-61 win was the most points Tennessee (18-2, 7-1 SEC) gave up in a conference game this season. Auburn (9-10, 1-7) was led by sophomore Aicha Coulibaly, who scored 26 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Jordan Horston attempted to spark a Tennessee comeback and scored 21 points and added eight rebounds. Jordan Walker finished with 17 points, the only other UT player in double figures.
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Auburn made it a game early and didn't look back
Tennessee jumped out to an early 17-7 lead, but the Tigers answered with a 9-0 run to end the first. After that, it was back and forth the rest of the game, but Auburn had a hold on the game's momentum for most of the 40 minutes, leading for 25 of them.
Coulibaly did it all for Auburn, draining 3-pointers, driving the lane and hitting her free throws when she got herself to the line. The sophomore shot 10-for-14 and hit two 3-pointers. It was Auburn's best 3-point shooting performance of the season with the Tigers making seven.
Coulibaly had 14 of the Tigers' 39 points at halftime, and she continued to dominate the rest of the game.
Turnovers give Tigers the win
Tennessee's turnovers finally came back to haunt the Lady Vols, with Auburn scoring 28 points off of a whopping 22 miscues.
Whenever Tennessee began to chip away at the lead, or even take a small lead, Auburn would force more turnovers and was successful in finishing in the paint. Tennessee and Auburn tied with 30 points in the paint.
Kaiya Wynn in walking boot
Tennessee freshman guard Kaiya Wynn wore a boot in the team's morning shootaround and did not fully participate in practice. She was not dressed.
Wynn has played in 17 games, averaging 8.2 minutes, 2.6 points and 1.9 rebounds.
No official update was given on Wynn's status or her timetable for return.
About that No. 1 seed
The NCAA selection committee revealed its top 16 teams Thursday and the Lady Vols are a projected No. 1 seed in the Wichita region.
Tennessee has not secured a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament since 2014, the only time that's happened since legendary coach Pat Summitt stepped down. Tennessee is the only women's basketball program to play in all 39 NCAA Tournaments.
South Carolina, Stanford and NC State were the three other No. 1 seeds.
The NCAA selection committee will reveal the top 16 teams again on Feb. 10 and Feb. 28.
ESPN's Charlie Creme moved Tennessee into a projected No. 1 seed in his Jan. 21 bracketology.
A No. 1 seed would be the highest under coach Kellie Harper in her third season. The NCAA Tournament was canceled in Harper's first season due to the COVID-19 pandemic and last season the Lady Vols were a No. 3 seed, losing in the second round to Michigan.
Being a top-16 team also would mean hosting the first two rounds in Thompson-Boling Arena.
Up next
Tennessee will be back in Thompson-Boling Arena for the first time in over two weeks for a rematch with Arkansas on Monday (7 p.m., SEC Network).
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee Lady Vols lose first SEC game to last-place Auburn
