COLUMBIA, Mo. (Interstat) — The Auburn women’s basketball team used a dominant defensive performance to secure a 71-58 victory over Missouri in a Southeastern Conference matchup on Thursday night at Mizzou Arena.

Auburn, now 14-13 overall, set the tone from the opening tip, forcing Missouri into a staggering 29 turnovers and converting them into 28 points. The visiting Tigers’ relentless pressure produced 17 steals, stifling Missouri’s offense for long stretches and allowing Auburn to build a lead it would never relinquish.

The game’s decisive stretch came in the first quarter, where Auburn’s defense was at its most suffocating. Missouri managed just eight points in the period, committing nine turnovers against Auburn’s aggressive, swarming defense. Auburn guard Kaitlyn Duhon was instrumental in the early havoc, recording three of her game-high five steals in the first ten minutes. Her defensive activity sparked Auburn’s transition game, helping the visitors jump out to an 18-8 lead after one quarter.

Missouri, which fell to 16-12, showed signs of life in the second and third quarters behind the scoring of Grace Slaughter. The Grain Valley, Missouri, native finished with a team-high 19 points, helping the home team cut into the deficit. Auburn led 37-27 at halftime and saw its advantage trimmed to 60-48 heading into the final period, but Missouri could never mount a sustained run to truly threaten.

Auburn’s offense was paced by Duhon, a sophomore from Houston, Texas, who scored 19 points in 33 minutes, adding five steals and a block. She was complemented by Khady Leye, who contributed 13 points and a game-high four offensive rebounds, and Harissoum Coulibaly, who chipped in 11 points and four steals.

While Missouri shot a respectable 57% from the field, its opportunities were severely limited by Auburn’s ball-hawking defense. Missouri attempted only 35 field goals, 34 fewer than Auburn, a direct result of the turnover disparity. Auburn, conversely, launched 69 shots, overcoming its own 37.7% shooting from the field with sheer volume created by its defensive effort.

Missouri’s Jordana Reisma provided an interior presence with 10 points, three assists and a block, but the home team managed only five assists against its 29 turnovers. Auburn shared the ball more effectively, tallying 17 assists on its 26 made field goals.

The victory snapped a two-game skid for Auburn, which had lost its previous two conference games by an average of 22.5 points. For Missouri, the loss was a missed opportunity to bolster its postseason resume, continuing a pattern of inconsistency in SEC play.

Auburn’s defense also controlled the glass on the offensive end, grabbing 10 offensive rebounds to Missouri’s two, leading to a 13-2 advantage in second-chance points.

Attendance at Mizzou Arena was announced at 2,804.

Auburn will return home to host Georgia on Monday. Missouri travels to face LSU on Sunday.