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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -- Who knows? Maybe Auburn's Joe Ciampi should have started Lori Nero all season.
The 6-foot-2 forward started her first game two weeks ago in the
SEC tournament and piled up 23 points. Her second start came Friday
night in the first round of the NCAA tournament, and she put in
another 23 to lead Auburn (No. 18 ESPN/USA Today, No. 16 AP) past Southwest Missouri State 78-74.
|  | | Tara Mitchem makes a shot around the arms of Auburn's Tiffany Krantz. |
"I'm not surprised," Nero said as she evaluated her two
starts. "I knew I could do it. Hopefully, I can keep it up."
She's more than filling in for Auburn's No. 2 scorer, LeCoe
Willingham, who is out after knee surgery Feb. 28. Ciampi hadn't
been starting Nero because she is not the most motivated practicer.
But he's not quibbling with what he's seen from her this month.
"As long as we can get her the ball underneath, that's her
style and she will do well for us," Ciampi said.
Tasha Hamilton added 21 points for Auburn, which made a
school-best 26 of 27 foul shots to move into the second round for
the seventh straight season.
Southwest Missouri (23-9) rallied from a 13-point deficit in the
final minutes, using a full-court press that gave Auburn fits. The
Bears got three steals, forced a traveling violation and hit eight
of 10 free throws to pull within 74-71 with 1:37 left.
Then the Bears' Carolyn Weirick blocked a layup by Conswella
Sparrow and Jackie Stiles got to the line at the other end. But she
missed one of two foul shots and Southwest Missouri trailed 74-72
with 45 seconds left.
Auburn (22-7) answered by hitting four free throws.
Auburn won for the first time in three weeks. It lost its last
two games, to Tennessee at the end of the regular season and to
Mississippi State in the first round of the SEC tournament.
Stiles, the nation's top scorer at 27.7 points per game, had 30
points and Carly Deer added 18 for Southwest Missouri.
"Our players did a great job of attacking at the end to get to
the free throw line," Southwest Missouri coach Cheryl Burnett
said. "I'm so proud of our kids for working so hard to get back
in. I really though we had a chance to win at the end."
Southwest Missouri ran Auburn ragged at the start of each half,
but the Lady Tigers' big bodies eventually wore down the Bears.
Auburn had 20 offensive rebounds.
"All five were very athletic and very strong," Stiles said.
"We weren't blocking them out hard enough. They got a lot of
offensive rebounds. That's what killed us, I think."
The Tigers trailed 54-51 when Hamilton and Sparrow took over.
Hamilton had eight points and Sparrow six, all inside, during a
16-0 spurt that gave Auburn its biggest lead of the game, 67-54
with seven minutes left.
Southwest Missouri went more than six minutes without scoring.
"Tasha played 40 minutes of her type of basketball," Ciampi
said. "She is accustomed to taking the ball to the basket and
being a great rebounder."
Stiles scored 12 points, but was hampered by the Tigers'
double-team for much of the first half. She adjusted after
halftime, scoring the Bears' first nine points by sprinting upcourt
after misses and popping in jumpers before Auburn could set its
defense.
Her 10-footer capped a 13-6 run to put Southwest Missouri ahead
48-47.
Auburn led 41-35 after a 14-0 run to end the half. Nero scored
six of her 17 first-half points during the run, and the Bears were
scoreless over the last five minutes of the half.
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ALSO SEE
Womens College Basketball Scoreboard
SW Missouri State NCAA Team Report
Auburn NCAA Team Report
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