Southern Miss rallied from a 13-point deficit to close within two in the fourth quarter, but Auburn held on for a 56-48 win Thursday at Neville Arena in Auburn, Alabama.
The Lady Eagles trailed 40-38 late in the third quarter after tightening their defense and limiting Auburn to two points in the period’s final three minutes. Auburn opened the fourth with six points in the first eight, but Southern Miss stayed close. Hayleigh Breland’s basket with 3:11 remaining made it 48-46.
Auburn’s defense then restricted Southern Miss to two more points, and the Tigers secured the win at the free-throw line.
Breland scored 14 points and Kennedy Langham added 13 to lead Southern Miss. The Lady Eagles shot 22.4% from the field and made none of their 17 3-point attempts. Mariah Clayton led the team with eight rebounds as Southern Miss collected 40 boards, including 14 offensive rebounds.
Chrysta Narcisse had six points and six rebounds and recorded a career-high five steals. Southern Miss trailed 32-24 at halftime after shooting 28.6% in the first half. Langham had 11 points before the break.
Southern Miss is scheduled to host Mississippi Valley State on Monday, Nov. 9, at Reed Green Coliseum. The calendar listed a 6 p.m. start for the game, the first of five consecutive home games.
