AU WOMEN’S HOOPS: Tigers routed at home by Texas A&M

Auburn’s SEC championship of a season ago seemed like a distant memory Sunday, even as the banners for the regular-season title and NCAA tournament were unveiled at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum.

No. 15 Texas A&M used relentless defensive pressure to force 23 turnovers, hold Auburn to 38 percent shooting and take a 79-59 win over the Tigers.

The loss snapped a 15-game home winning streak for Auburn.

Danielle Adams came off the bench to lead the Aggies with 22 points. Tanisha Smith had 14 points and six steals, and Adaora Elonu scored 13.

Alli Smalley was the only Tiger in double figures, scoring 18 on 6-of-17 shooting. She also had six turnovers.

“... We knew they were an athletic team and they’d be out in the passing lanes and putting a lot of pressure on us,” Smalley said. “We were aware of it. I thought we did a decent job handling the pressure.

“We played a top-10 team (in the ESPN-USA Today Coaches Poll). You expect a tough, hard-fought game out of that.”

“Texas A&M is an excellent team and I thought they exploited us,” Auburn coach Nell Fortner said. “They turned our turnovers into points for them. We have a lot of work to do and it is disappointing to lose, but we are not discouraged. We just have to get better.”

The game was close throughout the first half, as Auburn tied the game at 19 midway through the half. The Tigers were down only 4 just after the last media timeout, but the Aggies went on an 11-5 run, aided by three Elonu baskets in a span of about a minute, to push the lead to 10 at intermission.

A&M then owned the second half, leading by as much as 23.

“It’s a disappointing loss,” senior center KeKe Carrier said. “We just have to keep our heads up, focus and stay in the game.”

The Tigers’ young lineup was unable to deal with the defensive pressure of the Aggies, and was also hindered by Carrier continuing to be hampered by a tailbone injury.

“You want to get KeKe in the game,” Fortner said. “Until she gets a better feel for the game we’re just going to have to live with it. She’s working through it right now. Her mobility just isn’t there. She’s doing the best she can.”

With Carrier still limited, the Tigers seemed to perform better with a smaller lineup in the game, though Fortner said fans shouldn’t read too much into that.

“It just depends on who you’re playing and what the situation is,” she said. “You pick and choose.”

Carrier scored 9 points in 19 minutes.

The Aggies shot 53 percent and turned it over 18 times.

“I respect Coach Fortner on what she is doing with her program,” Texas A&M coach Gary Blair, who gave Fortner her first assistant coaching job at Stephen F. Austin, said. “She is a little bit younger than we are as a team. We both graduated a whole bunch of starters from last year, but I had more coming back than she did.”

“They got some great experience and that is a positive thing,” Fortner said. “We can’t complain about that and we’re just going to have to get through some tough times while they learn and grow up a little bit. I like this team and I like how they work. I like how we fought to the end and it will serve us well eventually.”

The SEC and NCAA banners were unveiled just before tipoff. The four graduating seniors from that team — DeWanna Bonner, Whitney Boddie, Trevesha Jackson and Sherrell Hobbs — are all currently playing basketball in Europe and were unable to attend the ceremony.

Auburn last lost at home Feb. 28, 2008, against Vanderbilt.

“We just have to continue to improve on the offensive and defensive ends because we’ve got another game Tuesday night,” Smalley said.

The Tigers (2-2) next face Georgia Southern at home Tuesday at 6 p.m.

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