Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris anticipated her team would face a difficult challenge against Arizona in the NCAA Tournament play-in round in Storrs, Connecticut, on Thursday night.
She knew this because Arizona reminded her of Auburn. Auburn’s goal every night is to create an impossible situation with their smothering defense.
“They’re almost like a twin team for us. They have a very similar playing style. They like to press a lot. They will toss some garbage at you. “They like to get up and score quickly,” Harris said of Arizona on Tuesday. “Just looking at them, it’s eerie because we play the same way.”
And, as Harris predicted, the Wildcats gave the Tigers a taste of their own medicine by putting pressure on every Auburn pass and challenging every shot.
Unfortunately for Auburn, the Tigers struggled to respond to the challenge, committing 23 turnovers in a season-ending 69-59 loss to the Wildcats.
By the end of the first half, Auburn had already turned the ball over 17 times, allowing Arizona to score 14 of its 27 first-half points on turnovers. By the end of the game, Arizona had scored 23 points off turnovers.
“I thought they sped us up,” Harris said about Arizona’s defense. “We had many unforced turnovers… We were coming off a single dribble and attempting to throw it to the roll on the first side, which was not working. We planned to flip the court and then attack the hedge, but I believe they sped us up and produced some unforced turnovers.
“And some of them were forced, they were up in the passing lane. “They were up in us.”
While Arizona’s aggressiveness resulted in turnovers, it came at a cost, as the Wildcats found themselves in foul trouble early.
By halftime, Arizona’s Bre Cunningham and Isis Beh had both committed three fouls, which is unusual for any team, but especially for Arizona, who had only eight players available.
With Arizona’s foul trouble and short bench in mind, the Tigers began assaulting the Wildcats by driving straight at them, hoping to hear more whistles. And they did so swiftly, as Arizona’s Beh and Esmery Martinez were both benched early in the second half after each committing four fouls.
In the end, Cunningham was the only Arizona player to foul out.
Meanwhile, Auburn’s sophomore Sydney Shaw and fifth-year senior Honesty Scott-Grayson fouled out late in the game.
Scott-Grayson, Auburn’s best scorer this season, fouled out with 2:10 minutes left in the game, leaving the Tigers down by seven points. Scott-Grayson was getting into a groove before her fifth foul, having scored six of her 13 points in the fourth quarter.
From that moment forward, with Auburn’s veteran leader and sparkplug on the bench, the Tigers were unable to cut the difference to less than five points.
Down the stretch, the Wildcats scored five unanswered points to increase their lead to ten points – the same lead Arizona would eventually win by.With the loss, Auburn finishes the season 20-12 and will make the tournament for the first time in five years.
Auburn freshman Yakiya Milton, who had a spectacular night in her maiden NCAA Tournament appearance, believes the Tigers will not go through another postseason drought like that.
“This is my first time in the tournament, and I know it won’t be my last,” said Milton, who had eight points, three rebounds, and three blocks in the loss. “I’m just eager to return. “I have a chip on my shoulder now.”
Meanwhile, Arizona (18-15) will progress to the NCAA Tournament’s first round, where they will face sixth-seeded Syracuse Saturday.