AUBURN, Ala. (AP) - The 16th ranked Kentucky women's basketball team ended its regular season with a 65-53 loss to Auburn on Sunday. Alli Smalley led Auburn with 26 points in the last game at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum. The school has built a new arena which debuts next season.
     
Auburn (14-15, 5-11 SEC) overcame 22 turnovers by getting to the foul line, where the Tigers went 15 of 18 against 3 of 5 for Kentucky.
     
Tigers senior Keke Carrier added 13 points while Jordan Greenleaf scored 10. Carrier also scored her 1,000th career point during senior night, the 26th Auburn player to reach that mark.
     
Kentucky (23-6, 11-5) cut the lead to 48-43 with 5:41 left in the game, but Auburn followed with an 8-0 run. The Tigers led by as many as 15 with 14:20 left in the game.
     
Adia Mathies led Kentucky with 20 points while Amber Smith had 17 points and four assists.
     
With a school-record 11 league wins this season, the Kentucky women's basketball team earned a No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the Southeastern Conference Tournament and is preparing to square off with the winner of Florida (No. 7 seed) and Auburn (No. 10 seed) in the quarterfinals. The Cats will play Friday, March 5 at 2:30 p.m. EST at The Arena at Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Ga. Fox Sports Net will televise the game live.

Florida (14-15, 7-9 SEC) earned the seventh seed in the SEC standings by winning the head-to-head tie with Ole Miss and South Carolina, also with 7-9 league records. Florida edged the Rebels on the road (67-64) and the Gamecocks (59-56) at home during the regular season. Auburn is the 10th seed after finishing 14-15 overall record, 5-11 in the SEC.

During the regular season, UK split meetings with Auburn, winning 68-50 in Lexington and dropping a 65-53 decision in Auburn. The Cats defeated Florida, 77-51, in Lexington on Feb. 18 in the only matchup with Gators.

Despite being picked to finish 11th in the preseason polls by league coaches and media, UK Hoops Coach Matthew Mitchell has led his squad to a remarkable turnaround in just his third season at the helm. His squad went from 16-16 overall, 5-9 in the SEC last season to an impressive 23-6 overall mark, including a school-best 11-5 record in conference play this season. The Wildcats' 23 wins are the most during the regular season since 1982-83 and it also marks the first 20-win season since 2006-07. UK’s second-place finish is the highest since the SEC moved to its current 12-team format in 1992 and since the 1982-83 squad finished second in the East when the SEC had a 10-team, divisional format.

UK is 20-30 all-time in the SEC Tournament and holds a 7-12 mark in quarterfinal games. The Cats have earned a first-round bye in three of the last five tournaments. UK’s semifinal appearances in 2006, 1992, and 1999 mark the highest finishes for the Cats since winning the tournament in 1982.

Single session and reserved tickets are on sale now. Reserved seat books (100 level) are $90. General admission books (200 & 300 levels) are $60. For more ticket information visit SECsports.com.
 

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