AUBURN, Ala. – Sophomore Honesty Scott-Grayson scored a career-high 30 points, but Missouri's sharpshooters were too much for Auburn in an 85-75 loss Sunday afternoon at Auburn Arena.
Auburn put up its highest point total and best shooting percentage in an SEC game this season, but Missouri was even better, knocking down shots from both outside the arc and in the paint to hold off Auburn in the second half.
"We played hard, but our defense wasn't there," Auburn head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. "You can't give up 85 points. Missouri's a very good offensive team, and to give up 85 points is just way too many. That third-quarter run really hurt us.
Scott-Grayson's 30-point effort was the top scoring performance by an Auburn player this season and the most since Unique Thompson had 31 at TCU last season. It was Auburn's best scoring effort in an SEC game since 32 points by Katie Frerking at Texas A&M in 2017, and the most points by an Auburn player in a home game since Brandy Montgomery scored 30 against Alabama on March 1, 2015.
"You could tell right from the jump," Williams-Flournoy said of Scott-Grayson's performance. "She hit her first 3, she came out ready to go. We just needed a few more people. This wasn't a game where we were questioning our offense. It was our defense that needed to be better."
Thompson shook off a slow start to pick up her 12th double-double of the year and 54th of her career with 14 points and 13 rebounds. She led Auburn with three assists, and she and Scott-Grayson also had two steals apiece.
It was a shootout from the jump as the teams traded baskets early before a late Mizzou run gave them a 31-17 lead to end the first quarter; Mizzou shot 75 percent in the opening 10 minutes. Auburn battled back, though, ending the second quarter on an 11-2 run to cut the deficit to 45-42 at the half. Scott-Grayson had 20 points in the first half, the Tigers' second-highest scoring individual half of the season.
But Missouri came out of the locker room on fire, hitting their first seven shots of the third quarter and opening on a 20-4 run over the first four-plus minutes to go ahead by as many as 19. Auburn could get no closer than nine points the rest of the way, despite holding Mizzou without a 3-pointer over the final 14 minutes.
Auburn shot 47 percent from the field (27-57), their best in SEC play and second-best overall this season, and were also 16-of-21 (76.2%) at the free-throw line. But Mizzou was 34-of-61 from the floor (55.7%), the best by an Auburn opponent this year. Missouri also out-rebounded Auburn 35-27 and won the battle in the paint 48-36.
Five players scored in double figures for Missouri, led by 19 points from Ladazhia Williams. Aijha Blackwell added 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Auburn hits the road Thursday to take on No. 25 Georgia. Game time is 6 p.m. CT at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens.
Career day for Scott-Grayson in Tigers' loss to Mizzou
