The defeat dropped the Tigers to 11-10 and 0-6 in the SEC.
On paper, Mizzou women’s basketball seemed to have a solid shot at its first SEC win of the season on Sunday.
Its opponents, Auburn, was the only other winless team in conference play. The Tigers from Alabama were on a six-game losing streak, which started with a loss to Norfolk State on Dec. 29.
When Auburn and Mizzou met on the hardwood, AU struggled in several facets of the game. It missed 15 of 20 three-point attempts and shot just 41% from the field. DeYona Gaston, the Texas transfer who’d averaged 22 points and eight rebounds per game, scored just nine points and grabbed three rebounds against MU. In the third quarter, Auburn went over seven minutes without converting a field goal.
And yet, Mizzou still lost.
Auburn erased its donut in the SEC win column, knocking off Robin Pingeton’s crew 75-60 in a wire-to-wire victory. The loss marked MU’s 17th straight to an SEC opponent; with its last SEC win coming against Georgia on Jan. 18, the losing streak has now officially dated back more than a full calendar year.
Despite the struggles of the home Tigers, the road Tigers did themselves very few favors as well. They committed 22 turnovers, their second-highest total of the season (they also gave the ball away on almost 30% of their offensive possessions). While Mizzou converted four more three-pointers than Auburn (9 compared to 5 for a +12 margin in triples), that margin was more than canceled out by AU making 15 more free throws than MU. Auburn was a frequent visitor to the charity stripe, shooting 31 free throws and making 24 of them. Mizzou got to the line just 13 times, making nine of those attempts.
Offensively, the road Tigers also hit a wall on the interior. They shot a porous 12/33 from two-point range, which included an abominable 12/29 clip on layups.
There were some positives for Mizzou. Ashton Judd came alive in the second half; she scored all 13 of her points over the final two quarters while grabbing six rebounds and dishing out four assists. Grace Slaughter led the team in scoring with 14 points, with 12 of them coming from beyond the arc. In a period that spanned the third and fourth quarters, Mizzou outscored Auburn to cut the lead to seven. However, MU would miss 11 of its last 15 shots to end regulation, and they’ll exit The Yellowhammer State still without an SEC win.
Mizzou will go on a week-long hiatus before its next game. It’ll return home to host Mississippi State on Jan. 27. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. CST.