AUBURN, Ala. – Yuting Deng scored a career-high 27 points, but Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes exploded for an NCAA freshman record 55 to help the Commodores overcome a 15-point fourth quarter deficit and defeat Auburn 98-88 in overtime Sunday at Neville Arena.
“In that fourth quarter, we got tired and started making bad decisions,” Auburn coach Johnnie Harris said. “You could see the fatigue set in. We have to be better. My message to them is to continue to fight. We cannot give up 98 points. That’s what killed us today.”
After Vanderbilt erased Auburn’s lead, Mar’Shaun Bostic drew a foul and made a pair of free throws with 32 seconds to play, giving Auburn an 81-79 lead.
Vanderbilt looked to Blakes for a potential tying score, but a moving screen gave Auburn possession. The Commodores fouled DeYona Gaston, who made one of two free throws to give the Tigers an 82-79 lead with 11 seconds to play.
After Blakes hit a pair of free throws with 7 seconds left, Vanderbilt immediately fouled Bostic, who made two more free throws to give the Tigers an 84-81 lead.
Bostic fouled out while guarding Blakes on a 3-point attempt in the final second. The McDonald’s All-American, who made 23 free throws before missing her final attempt of the day, sank all three to send the game to overtime.
“Mikayla’s really good at getting her body into you,” Harris said. “She’s a great player. She drew 15 fouls on us.”
Vanderbilt scored the first nine points of overtime, outscoring the Tigers 14-4 in the extra period.
Bostic recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 assists. Gaston made 9 of 11 shots and scored 25 points.
Auburn led throughout the first quarter, scoring off the opening tip on the first of three Bostic layups in the period.
Syriah Daniels gave the Tigers a six-point lead before Vanderbilt ended the quarter on a 5-0 run to trim Auburn’s lead to 18-17.
Vanderbilt twice took the lead in the second quarter before Auburn regained momentum. Deng and Celia Sumbane combined for 17 of Auburn’s 24 points in the quarter.
Auburn made 10 of 15 shots in the quarter, with Sumbane going 3-for-3 and Deng making 4 of 6 to help the Tigers lead 42-39 at the half.
The Tigers continued their torrid shooting into the third quarter, thanks to three quick buckets from Gaston and Deng’s third 3-pointer.
With Deng scoring from outside and Gaston producing points in the paint, Auburn led by nine before a 6-0 Vandy run.
Deng and Gaston combined to make 8 of 10 shots in the quarter, with Deng’s 3-point play giving the Tigers a 64-56 lead heading to the fourth quarter.
“Those two are developing really good chemistry,” Harris said. “They stay in the gym.”
Auburn opened the final quarter on a 10-3 run, taking a 15-point lead on Bostic’s tenth assist, to Gaston for a transition layup with 6:55 to play.
Blakes took over from there, scoring 19 points in the fourth quarter while going 3-for-3 from the field, 1-for-1 from 3-point range, and 12-for-12 from the free-throw line to send the game to overtime.
Auburn (12-14, 3-10) returns to the road for its next two games, starting at 4 p.m. CT Sunday at No. 21 Alabama.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer