Auburn's women's basketball team kept on rolling Wednesday.
That phrase was unfamiliar to those inside the SEC as late as two weeks ago.
One of the statistically worst offensive and rebounding teams in the SEC all season, Auburn shot 47.2 percent and held a rebounding edge throughout its 71-49 victory over Florida in the opening game of the SEC Women's Tournament at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock.
Now the 13th-seeded Tigers, who were mired in a 14-game losing streak Feb. 19, have won four consecutive games and will play No. 5 Texas A&M in a second-round game today.
"We weren't holding back, because we have nothing to hold back for," Auburn center Tra'Cee Tanner said.
Auburn (13-17) scored the game's first seven points, led 19-7 lead less than 11 minutes into the game and never trailed while scoring almost 14 points more than its SEC-low average and holding a 42-35 rebounding edge.
Florida (13-17), which concluded its worst season in Coach Amanda Butler's eight seasons, never could find an offensive rhythm. The Gators missed 11 of their first 13 shots, shot 31.1 percent overall, were 1 of 12 from three-point range and made 10 of 17 from the free-throw line.
After Auburn went on an 8-0 run to close the first half with a 32-18 lead, Florida's deficit was never less than 11 points. In just about every area, Florida was no match for an Auburn team that tied Missouri for the longest current winning streak in the league.
"Confidence is a really, really powerful thing," Butler said. "I thought we had the right mind-set. Clearly, I was wrong. Sometimes coaches are wrong."
Auburn's Brandy Montgomery scored 11 points in fewer than 11 minutes and finished with 22 -- her third 20-point game during Auburn's winning streak-- on 7-of-15 shooting. Tanner added 19 points, most of which came inside to help Auburn build a 38-28 advantage in the paint, and had eight rebounds.
It was evident early that Auburn's good fortune wouldn't end in a game that was moved up two hours because of inclement weather.
Montgomery scored inside and then hit a three-pointer to give Auburn a 5-0 lead, and it led 11-2 at the first media timeout after Jazmine Jones scored on a breakaway off a turnover. The Tigers eventually extended the lead to 19-7 after Montgomery made two consecutive three-pointers, the second coming with 9:32 left.
"It helps us a lot when Brandy is making shots, because Brandy is going to take shots," Auburn Coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. "Brandy is a typical shooter. Once she is in a rhythm, you're not going to stop her."
Florida couldn't.
Butler said she wasn't as upset with her team's shooting problems as she was how it played defense against a team it beat 63-50 on Jan. 4 in Auburn, Ala., a game in which Auburn committed 20 turnovers. The Tigers had 17 on Wednesday, but the Gators managed only 12 points off turnovers. Florida had 16 turnovers against Auburn's pressure defense.
Ronni Williams had 16 points and 12 rebounds for Florida, while January Miller and Kayla Lewis had nine points each.
"Shooting the ball, I don't think, was our biggest problem," said Lewis, who was 4 of 8 from the field. "We turned the ball over, we gave up points to people in a way that we knew they scored, and we just didn't do a good job of defending Auburn."
Williams-Flournoy credited her team's defense for its sudden turnaround. The Tigers have held teams to 51.5 points over their past four games -- victories at Georgia and Vanderbilt and at home to Vanderbilt before Wednesday -- and every team has committed 16 turnovers or more.
Today her team gets a chance to avenge another loss, this one to Texas A&M, which beat Auburn 78-45 on Feb. 1 in College Station, Texas.
"It's so funny to look back at the games we have played," Williams-Flournoy said. "There was no energy, there was no effort, there was no hustle. They just weren't playing very hard.
"They've rediscovered who they want to be, and that's what we want to continue to do."
VANDERBILT 66, ALABAMA 56
Rebekah Dahlman and Paris Kea scored 16 points each to lead 11th-seeded Vanderbilt (15-15) past 14th seed Alabama (13-19) in a first-round game. Vanderbilt will play sixth-seeded Kentucky in a second-round game today. Marqu’es Webb added 14 points for the Commodores, who shot 50 percent (29 of 58) from the floor. Alabama cut the lead to 56-52 with 5:08 left, but consecutive layups by Jasmine Jenkins, Dahlman and Kea pushed the Commodores’ lead to 62-52 with 2:52 remaining. Ashley Williams led the Crimson Tide with 21 points. Vanderbilt led 26-24 at halftime.
Sports on 03/05/2015