AUBURN, Ala. – The ULM women's basketball team jumped out to an 11-point first-quarter lead at Auburn; however, the Warhawks couldn't overcome 35 turnovers in a 67-41 loss Wednesday, Nov. 29 in Auburn Arena.
 
ULM (2-3) hit its first six shots from the field and took a 15-4 lead on Destini Lunsford's three-pointer with 5:20 left in the first quarter. Auburn forced turnovers on four-straight possessions and closed out the first quarter with a 10-0 run to cut its deficit to 15-14. The Warhawks shot 67 percent (6-of-9) from the floor over the first 10 minutes, including 3-of-4 from three-point range. ULM led for 8:49 in the first quarter.
 
Auburn (4-3) took control of the game in the second quarter, outscoring the Warhawks, 21-4, to build a 35-19 halftime lead. The Tigers converted ULM's 20 first-half turnovers into 19 points. Janiah McKay and Daisa Alexander scored 11 points each to pace Auburn in the first half.
 
ULM was unable to close the gap in the second half. Auburn led 48-28 after three quarters. The Tigers took their largest lead at 61-34 on a jumper by Emari Jones with 4:36 left in the fourth quarter.
 
"We were really encouraged to get off to such a fast start and essentially lead the entire first quarter," ULM women's head basketball coach Jeff Dow said. "We were thrilled to be up 15-4 in the middle of the first quarter against a talented team like Auburn on its home floor. Unfortunately, their length and athleticism got the better of us, resulting in the huge disparity in the points off turnovers category (31-5), and not coincidentally, that was the difference in the game. To their credit, they've established themselves as not only one of the premier programs in the SEC but in the nation.
 
"I was proud of the overall effort and competitiveness that we showed, but clearly, we've got to get better at taking care of the ball."
 
McKay hit 7-of-12 shots from the floor and finished with a game-high 21 points for the Tigers while Alexander contributed 16 points.
 
Alexus Johnson came off the ULM bench to score a team-high eight points in eight minutes. Gabby Cortez, who entered the game as the Sun Belt's leading scorer at 21.0 points per game, managed six points. Lunsford scored five of her six points in the first quarter.
 
ULM outrebounded Auburn, 33-31. Diamond Brooks led the Warhawks with a season-high seven rebounds.
 
Up next, the Warhawks return home to Fant-Ewing Coliseum on Sunday, Dec. 3 to face Northwestern State at 2 p.m.