Coulibaly scores 20, Auburn falls to Missouri in SEC home opener

AUBURN, Ala. Aicha Coulibaly led Auburn with 20 points and seven rebounds, but Missouri made 4 of 5 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to hold off Auburn for a 62-56 win on New Year’s Day at Neville Arena.

“The little things made us win today,” Auburn coach Johnny Harris said. “Our team came back and played harder, they played harder. We just made mistakes. We still missed the shots we need to make. That’s part of being tough.”

Missouri broke open a tight game in the third quarter as Katlyn Gilbert had five assists and 11 points en route to a 10-point lead early on. Fern Wells A three-point play cut the deficit to 48-41 heading into the fourth quarter.

The home team Tigers rallied and Coulibaly scored to pull Auburn within five before Hayley Frank responded with a 3-pointer for Missouri.

Coulibaly raced up the lane and received the pass Mya Pratcher layup high off the glass that cut Missouri’s lead to 51-47 with 7:42 to play.

The Tigers scored four straight goals by Coulibaly and Romi Levy within a score of 54-51 with 6:17 left, but turnovers and missed shots kept Auburn from getting any closer, and another 3-pointer by Frank gave Missouri an overwhelming 59-52 lead with 1:34 left.

“We got the shots we wanted, we just didn’t make them. Then we couldn’t get on the boards to get those shots back,” Harris said. “We got away from a shooter in the corner and gave them a 3. They hit a big shot.”

Jakayla Johnson scored nine points and led Auburn with four assists and just one turnover in his debut at point guard. Wells added eight points.

“I had to take a big role,” Johnson said. “I had to do it for my team. I really wanted to be there for my team. I can be versatile. I can play the point and run the two.”

“I thought he did a really good job,” Harris said. “Not only did he do that, but most of the time he was guarding either the point guard or the best shooter, which takes a lot out of you. He played a big role and that’s only going to help him and us going forward.”

by Mar’shaun Bostic The steal and layup capped a 7-0 run that helped Auburn take a 13-10 lead after a first quarter in which the visiting Tigers made nine 3-pointers and made just one.

Auburn went cold in the second quarter, missing eight straight shots, while Missouri hit four straight to lead 23-19 midway through the period.

Auburn made up for it with Johnson and Pratcher hitting 9-of-10 free throws in the quarter and trailed 29-28 at halftime.

Frank led all scorers with 23 and hit 4 of 9 3-pointers. Gilbert added 14 points and four assists for Missouri (13-2, 2-0).

Auburn played its second straight game without a second leading scorer Honest Scott-Grayson, who suffers from injuries on a daily basis. Scott-Grayson is averaging 15.8 points per game and shooting 49 percent from three-point range.

“I really miss him, not just his shooting, but his presence on the floor,” Harris said. “He can calm things down, he can create. He does a lot for us and scores. We’re going to make sure he’s healthy and he comes back ready to go.”

Auburn (10-4, 0-2) will play No. 1 at South Carolina on Thursday at 6 p.m. CT before returning to Neville Arena next Sunday for Alumni Weekend against Alabama at 4 p.m. CT.

“We’re going to get back to work and get better,” Harris said.

Jeff Shearer is a senior writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer