DULUTH, Ga. — One win away from clinching a spot in postseason play, Auburn plowed face-first into a reincarnation of its 2009 self.

It was well-rested, fast-paced Kentucky, and the Wildcats showed little mercy recreating what made the Tigers so good last season at their
expense.

“(Kentucky coach Matthew Miller) just took our playbook and put it into his team,” coach Nell Fortner said. “If you have the players to play that way, it’s a great way to play, because it’s hard to defend.”

Friday’s 65-54 loss officially ended Auburn’s season, the first that will go without postseason play since 2005-06. The Tigers, who finished the season 15-16, fell one win short of qualifying for the Women’s NIT and will not accept an invitation to the new, 16-team Women’s Basketball Invitational, an Auburn official said.

“We were a little on the young side,” Fortner said of her team, which dressed just one senior and played as many as four freshmen regularly throughout the season. “This experience will pay off for us next year. That’s something to look forward to.”

Watching Kentucky race up and down the floor for a number of easy baskets had Fortner and Auburn’s players thinking back to last year, when the Tigers ran laps around teams en route to a 30-4 record and an SEC Championship.

The Wildcats (24-6) like to push the tempo and play fast. When opponents start to run out of gas, like Auburn did right around the 10-minute mark in the second half Friday, they push it even faster.

“That’s our identity,” Mitchell said. “That’s what we have to do.”

Auburn, though, had to completely revamp its offensive agenda this year, which made Kentucky a difficult matchup in its two meetings during the regular season and Friday. The dominating presence of KeKe Carrier in the paint and a bevy of inexperienced players made a halfcourt-based offense not only convenient, but a necessity.

That’s why Auburn didn’t win a single SEC game this season when opponents scored more than 62 points, and why it had control of Friday’s game for the first 10 minutes, when the pace was slow and deliberate.

Unfortunately, the pace then was even tiresome for the Tigers, who sometimes needed 15-20 seconds just to get the ball past midcourt because of the Wildcats’ relentless press.

“Their pressure is intense, even on offense,” said guard Alli Smalley, who was limited to 11 points one day after scoring a career-high 29. “As soon as they get the ball out of the basket, they’re pushing it to the other end.

“It’s definitely hard to keep up with them.”

Kentucky had just 4 fastbreak points before it took control of the game with a 25-6 run, which stretched from the end of the first half into the second. Auburn responded with an 11-0 run of its own to trim the lead to as few as 3 points, but, by then, the Tigers were out of gas.

By the end, Kentucky had 14 fastbreak points to the Tigers’ zero and 22 points off Auburn turnovers.

“We tried to slow it down,” said freshman point guard Morgan Toles, who led Auburn with 13 points. “They just kept running and pressing, and that kind of broke us down a little bit.”

Assuming the DeWanna Bonner role for the Wildcats was Victoria Dunlap, the sister of former Auburn offensive lineman King Dunlap. The freshly anointed SEC Player of the Year led all scorers with 24 points, five days after she managed just 4 in Auburn’s upset victory over the Wildcats to cap the regular season.

Dunlap still had a tough time getting easy looks when Carrier was on the floor, but was able to pick apart the Tigers in the paint when Carrier was on the bench.

“Last time we played them, I was hesitant with KeKe, with all the rest of their post players,” Dunlap said. “This time I was just trying to have the mindset of just relaxing and taking the ball to the basket.”

Though the Tigers’ season came to a close Friday, Fortner wasn’t ready to have their SEC Tournament experience come to an end. Auburn will be in attendance for both of today’s semifinal games, getting a taste of what it’s like to be among the conference’s four best teams from an outsider’s perspective.

“I think we’ll be a hungrier team next year,” Fortner said. “And definitely a more experienced team.”

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