The loss was the third straight for Auburn, which came into the series with a six-game winning streak.

“Arizona State played extremely well all weekend and they didn’t beat themselves,” Auburn head coach John Pawlowski said. “We have to improve. This was certainly a wake-up call for everybody, the guys and our staff.”

Auburn (9-5) jumped on Arizona State (15-0) starter Jake Borup for three runs in the first two innings, but couldn’t muster much offense after that, collecting just one base runner from the third through seventh innings. Borup went five innings, allowing three runs on five hits and a walk, striking out six to go to 4-0 on the season.

The teams traded two-run home runs in the first as Hunter Morris (1-for-4) drove in Justin Hargett (2-for-4) with his second blast of the weekend.

But ASU’s Riccio Torrez (2-for-5, 3 RBI) answered by depositing a Jon Luke Jacobs pitch back over the centerfield wall.

After Auburn took a 3-2 lead, Arizona State tied it up in the bottom of the third, then knocked Jacobs out with a leadoff home run in the bottom fourth to take a 4-3 lead, bringing Grant Dayton in for his first relief appearance since March 18, 2008. Jacobs (0-2) allowed four runs on three hits and two walks to take the loss.

Arizona State, tacked on three more in the fifth and one in the sixth off of releiver Zach Blatt.

Auburn returns home for a pair of midweek games, facing Alabama A&M at 6:30 p.m. on both Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Tigers improved to 15-7.

Auburn hurler Anna Thompson went 9 innings, scattering seven hits, walking three and striking out nine. Thompson earned the win to improve to 7-4 on the season.

In Game 1, Kentucky put up three runs in the fourth inning to break a tie game and held on for a 5-3 win.

Women’s golf wins Tiger/Wave title
NEW ORLEANS — After carding 4-over 76s in the first two rounds, Auburn senior Candace Schepperle put it together in the final round, coming into the clubhouse with a 5-under-par 67 to lead the No. 3 Tigers to a final-round even-par 288 and the team title at the Tiger/Wave Golf Classic at English Turn Golf Club.

The win is the second of the season for the Tigers and comes just a week after the first victory. Auburn won the one-day Auburn Invitational last Sunday with a team-total 294.

All five players on the Auburn roster scored at least two rounds in the tournament with the top three posting four rounds at even-par or better.

Cydney Clanton entered the day in a tie for the individual lead, but her 1-under 71 on Sunday put her third overall. Sophomore Haley Wilson shot a 5-over 77, while freshman Carlie Yadloczky posted the third-best round for the Tigers on Sunday with a 2-over 72. Rounding out the Auburn lineup was sophomore Patricia Sanz with a 4-over-par 76.

Men’s golf to host Tiger Shootout
Auburn men’s golf is set to host the 2010 Tiger Shootout today at the par-72, 7,254-yard Auburn University Club. The Tigers will play host to Bradley and Louisiana-Monroe in the one-day, 36-hole event.

The Shootout marks the first time Auburn has hosted a home event since the 2006 Billy Hitchcock Intercollegiate.

2 divers qualify for NCAAs
ATLANTA, Ga. — Sophomores Vennie Dantin and Anna Aguero each earned their ticket to the NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships on Day 3 of the NCAA Zone B Championships in Atlanta at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center.

The women’s NCAA Championships begin Thursday in West Lafayette, Ind., and the men will compete in Columbus, Ohio, March 25-27.

Men’s tennis earns SEC win
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The No. 68 Auburn men’s tennis team picked up its first SEC win of the season Sunday, defeating No. 50 South Carolina, 4-3.
The Tigers are now 4-7 overall and 1-3 in conference play, while the Gamecocks fall to 6-6 and 0-4 in the SEC.

The duo of seventh-ranked junior Tim Puetz and sophomore Alex Stamchev kicked things off with an 8-3 victory. Freshman Andreas Mies and junior
Michel Monteiro were not fazed by the pressure as the pair gave Auburn a 1-0 lead with an 8-4 win over Ivan Machado and Johannes Pulsfort.

Tiger freshman Lucas Lopasso scored Auburn’s second point of the day, defeating Machado in two sets (6-1, 6-2) at No. 4 singles. The 89th-ranked singles player in Stamchev put the Tigers up 3-0 with a two-set win over Alexander Kostanov at No. 3 singles, 6-3, 6-3.

Auburn captain and 26th-ranked Puetz secured the Auburn victory in No. 2 singles.

Women’s tennis also beats South Carolina
The No. 63 Auburn women’s tennis team (6-5, 1-3) defeated the No. 20 South Carolina Gamecocks (7-4, 2-1), 4-3, Sunday afternoon from City of Auburn/Yarbrough Tennis Center.

The match was secured by senior Myrthe Molenveld’s 6-3, 7-6 win over the 111th ranked player in the country, Anya Morgina at the No. 3 position.

The loss was the Gamecock’s first conference loss of the season in SEC play, and snaps South Carolina’s overall five-match win streak.

No. 2 Equestrian beats K-State
FRESNO, Calif. - The No. 2 Auburn equestrian team defeated No. 6 Kansas State 12-3 Sunday in Fresno, Calif. The Tigers improved to 12-3 while the Wildcats fell to 5-7. Auburn defeated Kansas State in each of the four events, taking Hunt Seat Equitation over Fences 3-1, Equitation on the
Flat 4-0, Western Horsemanship 3-1 and Western Reining 2-1.

The belief that winning can’t happen without cheating at Auburn, especially after the Tigers’ 24-12, 2008-09 season, is also fading away.

The pay promises to be much better, too.

When athletic director Jay Jacobs starts to sit down with his potential candidates in the coming days and weeks, he won’t have to do nearly as much selling as Hal Baird did when he hired Jeff Lebo in 2004.

“I think it’s something that someone can look at and feel like they can recruit to,” women’s basketball coach Nell Fortner said. “It should be attractive to a large number of coaches.”

With that in mind, a number of potential candidates have emerged in the 36 or so hours since one of Auburn University’s highest-paid positions became vacant. Though none of the following names have been officially confirmed, it’s expected none of them will immediately hang up if/when Jacobs rings up their cell phone.

Mike Anderson
Age: 50

Birthplace: Birmingham

Alma mater: Tulsa

Current position: Head coach, Missouri.

Career record: 176-86 (Eight seasons; four at UAB, four at Missouri)

Career highlight: Missouri advanced to the Elite 8 last season, finishing 31-7. Anderson was one of 10 finalists for the Henry Iba Award, which is given to the best college basketball coach from the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.

Would he take it?: Anderson is a Birmingham native and a protégé of Nolan Richardson’s, so his ties to the SEC are strong. He was in the mix for the Auburn job last time it came open, but didn’t come to campus for an interview. He’s making $1.6 million per year and recently received a seven-year extension on his contract, making him the most expensive candidate at this point.

Tony Barbee
Age: 38

Birthplace: Indianapolis

Alma Mater: UMass

Current position: Head coach, UTEP

Career record: 79-49 (four seasons)

Career highlight: It’s happening right now. UTEP lost Saturday to Houston in the Conference USA title game, but the Miners are nationally ranked and set to return to the NCAA Tournament.

Would he take it?: Barbee, a former John Calipari assistant, has no ties to the South or the Southeastern conference. He is, however, making significantly less money at UTEP than he would at Auburn and wouldn’t be overwhelmed by a rebuilding project. One of the nation’s top-ranked recruiters when he coached alongside Calipari at Memphis, Barbee has stockpiled the Miners with some of the nation’s top talent.

John Brady
Age: 55

Birthplace: McComb, Miss.

Alma mater: Belhaven

Current position: Head coach, Arkansas State

Career record: 290-218 (19 seasons; six at Samford, 11 at LSU, two at Arkansas State)

Career highlight: In 2005-06, LSU started the season unranked, but advanced all the way to the Final Four thanks to the play of future NBA players Glen Davis and Tyrus Thomas.

Would he take it?: Brady spent the best years of his coaching career in the SEC West. The lure of spinning a 17-14 season in Jonesboro, Ark., to an SEC job with a brand new arena would appear to be overwhelming. Plus, it’s expected Auburn will pay Brady, who is still collecting buyout checks from LSU, more than the $100,000 per season he’s making now.

Mike Davis
Age: 49

Birthplace: Fayette

Alma mater: Alabama

Current position: Head coach, UAB

Career record: 198-126 (10 seasons; six at Indiana, four at UAB)

Career highlight: One year after replacing legend Bob Knight, Davis led the Hoosiers to an unexpected trip to the NCAA Finals in 2002.

Would he take it?: Davis might be looking for a fresh change of scenery after his fourth consecutive year at UAB without an NCAA Tournament berth. It also might be nice for him to play in a conference that consistently gets more than one team to the Big Dance every year. Davis, like Anderson, was also in the mix during Auburn’s previous search.

Frank Haith
Age: 44

Birthplace: Queens, N.Y.

Alma mater: Elon

Current position: Head coach, Miami

Career record: 108-86 (six seasons)

Career highlight: As a top assistant at Texas, Haith and the Longhorns advanced to the Final Four in the 2002-03 season.

Would he take it?: Haith is a New Yorker by birth and has no SEC ties. Because Miami is a private institution, his financial situation is unclear, though athletic director Kirby Hocutt recently extended his contract.

Johnny Jones
Age: 50

Birthplace: N/A

Alma mater: LSU

Current position: Head coach, North Texas

Career record: 150-120 (nine seasons)

Career highlight: Jones, in his sixth season, saw it all come together at North Texas, as he guided the Mean Green to their first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 1988 after capturing the Sun Belt Title.

Would he take it?: Jones is deeply entrenched in Denton and just recently received a raise and contract extension, locking him up with the Mean Green for the next six years. Still, Jones knows what it’s like to play in the SEC and would be getting a major pay bump to boot.

Sam Mitchell
Age: 46

Birthplace: Columbus, Ga.

Alma Mater: Mercer

Current position: N/A

Career record: 156-189 (five seasons with Toronto Raptors)

Career highlight: After leading the Raptors to their first division title in franchise history and bowing out of the first round of the NBA playoffs, Mitchell was named Coach of the Year in 2007.

Would he take it?: Mitchell has been off for a year, spending time in Atlanta with his family. An active member in the community and beloved in his hometown, he’s apparently open to the idea of returning to coaching, even if it is college.

Chuck Person
Age: 45

Birthplace: Brantley

Alma Mater: Auburn

Current position: Special assistant, Los Angeles Lakers

Career record: N/A

Career highlight: In college, it was when he became Auburn’s all-time leading scorer, a record that still stands today, even with the introduction of the 3-point line. In the pros, it might have been his overall longevity, as he lasted 15 seasons and played with five different teams.

Would he take it?: Person is currently on the path to, one day, become a head coach at the professional level. But when he talked with reporters Thursday, he hinted that an offer from a major program in a major conference would be tough to overlook.

agribble@oanow.com | 737-2561

“(Arizona State) beat us in every phase of the game today. We were not very good,” Auburn head coach John Pawlowski said. “It’s just one of those tough games. I told the guys this is what playing teams in the Southeastern Conference and top teams in the country is all about. We have to come back tomorrow and regroup. We were in the game early and then they just kept pounding away and things didn’t click for us today.”

Auburn (9-4) scored three runs on four hits and a walk in the top of the first, quickly jumping on ASU starter Merrill Kelly, only to have Arizona State respond with four runs on three hits, all doubles, and two walks in the bottom half to take a 4-3 off Auburn starter Cole Nelson after the first.

The Tigers were unfazed by the lead change, scoring three more off of a Hunter Morris laser of a three-run home run to right, his third in the last four games and the 26th of his career, to take a 6-4 lead.

After being held off the board in the second, Arizona State (14-0) tied it at 6 in the third, knocking Nelson from the game after 2 1/3 innings, and then piled on the runs from there, scoring six runs off Bradley Hendrix (1-1) in his 3 1/3-inning outing, touching the right hander for six hits, and four runs on Justin Bryant in the eighth.

Kelly (4-0), who was roughed up for all seven of Auburn’s runs in his 5 1/3 innings, lasted into the sixth to pick up his fourth straight win of the season, leaving with Arizona State ahead 10-7.

Mitchell Lambson allowed just a one-out bunt single to Justin Hargett, who batted 3-for-5 and scored twice, in the top of the ninth during his three innings of work to earn his third save of the season.

Hargett joined Morris (2-for-4, 2 R) and Dan Gamache (2-for-4, R, RBI) as the three Tigers to finish with multiple hits on the night.

Brian Fletcher was 0-for-4 with three strike outs, snapping his hitting streak at 17 games dating to last season.

The two teams will play the series finale at 3 p.m. today. Arizona State will throw RHP Jake Borup (3-0, 1.12) while Auburn has not announced its starter.

Auburn improved to 14-6, 1-0 SEC and Kentucky fell to 14-7, 0-1. The Tigers and Wildcats will conclude their series with a doubleheader beginning today at noon.

After waiting through a five-hour delay from the original start time due to rain, the Tigers and Wildcats began play at 6 p.m.

Anna Thompson started and went the distance for Auburn to improve to 6-4 on the season. Thompson went seven innings, giving up three hits, two runs (one earned) and one walk while striking out nine.

Chanda Bell took the loss for Kentucky to fall to 8-4. Bell allowed three runs on six hits with one walk and 11 strikeouts in five
innings.

Auburn jumped on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third inning when Guzman launched a one-out solo home run to left. It gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead and was Guzman’s second dinger of the season.

The Tigers extended their lead in the bottom of the fifth inning when Stangl dropped a two-run bomb over the wall in right-center to make it 3-0. It was Stangl’s second home run of the season and came with Lindsey Harrelson, who was hit by a pitch, aboard.

Kentucky cut into the deficit in the top of the sixth inning.

With one out, Annie Rowlands was hit by a pitch and then moved to second on a wild pitch. Molly Johnson then drilled a double to the wall in right to score Rowlands and make it a 3-1 game.

A wild pitch moved Johnson to third and a walk to Yocke put runners on the corners with one out. Natalie Smith then lofted a pop-up that Guzman dropped at shortstop, allowing Johnson to score and cut the AU lead to 3-2.

With runners at first and second, Thompson got Cervantes swinging on strike three for the second out of the inning. The Tigers got out of the inning when Rachel Riley ground into a fielder’s choice, forcing Yocke out at third.

The Wildcats never threatened in the seventh as Thompson retired the side in order to seal the win.

Sophomore Marcus Rowland and junior Sheniqua Ferguson each earned their second All-American honors of the meet by finishing third and fourth, respectively in the men’s and women’s 60 meters, while junior Joanna Atkins (women’s 400 meters ) and sophomore Ryan Fleck (men’s high jump) also earned fourth-place finishes on Saturday.

Ferguson won the national title in the 200 meters on Friday night.

The sixth-place finish by the women’s squad marked the second-best finish in school history at the NCAA Indoor Championships, behind only the 2007 squad that finished fifth. The men recorded their best finish at the NCAA indoor meet since the 2007 men also took fifth.

In 13 years with Ralph Spry as head coach, the Tigers have now had nine top-10 team finishes at the NCAA Indoor Championships, while crowning 12 individual national champions and earning 98 All-American honors.

“Coming into the weekend our goal was to leave with six All-Americans, and we accomplished that goal,” said Spry. “I’m really pleased with how we finished the indoor season, and I can’t say enough about the athletes that we brought to the meet. We just didn’t have enough qualifiers to really compete, but that will keep us hungry as we go to the outdoor season.”

Rowland earned his fifth career All-America honor by taking third in the 60 meters in 6.61 seconds. Rowland had clocked the field’s second-fastest time in Friday’s prelims of 6.58, but just missed matching that performance. Still, his third-place finish marked the highest by an Auburn men’s sprinter in the 60 meters since Marc Burns placed third in 2004.

Ferguson finished fourth in the 60 meters with a time of 7.23 seconds, missing her personal best by just .01 seconds. She became just the third Auburn woman to earn All-American honors in both short sprints at the NCAA indoor meet, joining Juliet Campell (1992, 1993) and Kerron Stewart (2006, 2007).

Atkins finished fourth in the women’s 400 meters, clocking a time of 52.43 seconds, breaking her own indoor school record that she set during Friday’s prelims. Atkins, who entered the competition ranked fifth in the field, had set the school record with a time of 52.47 seconds in the prelims. She earned All-American honors in the 400 meters for the third time in her career.

Fleck finished fourth in the men’s high jump, equaling his indoor personal best with a mark of 2.22 meters (7-3.25). Fleck, who earned his second career All-American honor, was one of just two jumpers who were perfect through the first four heights, but missed all three attempts at 2.25 meters (7-4.5) to drop out of the competition.

Oregon won the women’s team title with 61 points, followed by Tennessee (36), LSU (35), Florida (33), Texas A&M (31) and Auburn (28). Florida won the men’s title with 57 points, while Auburn tied with Florida State for 12th place with 16 points.

“We’re typically a better outdoor team than indoor, and this gives us a lot of momentum going into the outdoor season,” said Spry. “I’m really excited to come out of this meet with a national champion and six All-Americans, and am looking forward to getting the outdoor season started.”

The Tigers will take next weekend off before beginning their outdoor season March 26-27 at the Yellow Jacket Invitational hosted by Georgia Tech.

Women’s golf in tie for 1st
NEW ORLEANS — Junior Cydney Clanton carded a 1-under 71 in Saturday’s second round of the Tiger/Wave Classic, leading the No. 3 Auburn women’s golf team to a share of the lead with co-host LSU heading into Sunday’s final round. The Tigers opened the day 12 shots off the lead, but carded the low round of the day to tie for the top spot.

Clanton heads into the final round with a share of the individual lead as well, coupling her 1-under 71 with her first-round 73 to finish the day at even-par 144. She shares the individual lead with LSU’s Megan McChrystal. Clanton climbed into the lead by tying for low round of the day with Texas Christian’s Rachel Raastad.

Hosted by LSU and Tulane, the Tiger/Wave Classic is a 54-hole tournament being played at the par-72, 6,132-yard English Turn Golf & Country Club, the former home of the PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans. The three-day tournament features 23 teams from around the country, nine of which are ranked in the GolfWorld top 25.

Auburn carded an 8-over 296 in the second round, the low round of the day by two strokes. Texas Christian followed with a 10-over 298 while co-leader LSU came in with the third-lowest round at 19-over 307.

For the second day in a row, teams dealt with heavy winds coming in off the river at English Turn.

“There were tremendous winds today with 20-30 mile per hour gusts,” said Auburn head coach Kim Evans. “We played really well today in that weather, we really did. I don’t know what it was, but we were able to put together a good round today when some other teams were not.”

The Tigers came in nine strokes lower than their first round score on a day in which 21 of the other 22 teams in the field posted a higher score.

“We were not exactly happy with (Friday), but we just took it as we were trying too hard and we were beating ourselves,” said Evans. “We came out and went at it again (Saturday). Cydney had a really good round and played so well out in that wind with several birdies.”

Clanton birdied five holes on the day, compared to four bogeys. The Concord, N.C., native was 1-over for the round heading down the final stretch, but carded birdies on two of her final four holes to take a share of the individual lead.

“Haley Wilson stepped up and had a really good round today and got some things going,” said Evans. “Candace Schepperle played really solid today. They did a good job today, they did what they had to do to get back in it to have a chance (today).”

Wilson carded an even-par 72, moving up 50 places from the first round to finish the day in a tie for 10th with a 6-over 150. Schepperle followed her first-round 76 with another 4-over 76 in the second round, finishing the day in a tie for 16th at 8-over 152.

Also scoring for Auburn was freshman Carlie Yadloczky with a 5-over 77. She improved four strokes from her first-round 81 to finish the round in a tie for 50th at 14-over 158. Rounding out the Auburn lineup was sophomore Patricia Sanz with a 10-over 82, giving her a tie for 65th with a 16-over 160.

Competing as an individual at the tournament is sophomore Madison Overbey. She improved three strokes for a 7-over 79, moving up 30 spots to a tie for 74th with a 17-over 161.

In the team race, TCU is in third place with a 27-over 603, two strokes behind leaders Auburn and LSU. First-round leader Alabama is in fourth with a 31-over 607 while Virginia rounds out the top five with a 35-over 611.

Individually, Virginia’s Calle Nielson and LSU’s Tessa Teachman are in a tie for third with a 1-over 145s, one stroke behind Clanton and McChrystal. Alabama’s Camilla Lennarth rounds out the top five with a 3-over 147.

“Our goal in every tournament is to play in the last group every day,” said Evans. “I am proud of them, it is hard to make up ground like that in the conditions we played in. We are happy and I am proud, but we are going to get some rest and go out to work (today).”

Today’s final round is an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start. Auburn will play in the leader group off the No. 1 tee.

Diving through Day 2 at NCAA Zone
ATLANTA — The second day of diving competition concluded Saturday at the 2010 NCAA Zone B Championships at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center.

There are five Zone meets taking place this weekend across the country and these meets give divers a chance to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Zone B will qualify eight women and seven men for the national meet. The women’s NCAA Championships will be March 18-20 in West Lafayette, Ind., and the men will compete in Columbus, Ohio, March 25-27.

Competing on the three-meter springboard were sophomores Anna Aguero, Vennie Dantin and Mary Catherine Cochran. Dantin had the best finish for the Tigers, coming in eighth with a score of 590.20. Aguero was 13th overall (572.95), while Cochran competed in the preliminaries and finished 30th (207.90).

“The women were a little off (Saturday),” head diving coach Jeff Shaffer said. “Both Anna and Vennie missed a couple of dives and will now have to really perform on the platform (today). They both have chances to qualify so (today) will be a big day for them.”

A pair of men represented Auburn on the one-meter in senior Kelly Marx and freshman Thad Ellis. Marx, who qualified for the NCAA meet Friday, finished third in the event with a score of 727.95. Ellis came in eighth with 634.10 points.

“Thad did a good job (Saturday),” Shaffer said. “I was really pleased with how he performed his second list and he has a lot to build on for (today) and next season.”

The NCAA Zone B meet concludes today with the men and women’s platform event. Live results can be found at http://www.divemeets.com.

Gymnastics falls to Ohio State
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Participating in its first co-ed meet since the 2007 season, the No. 17 Auburn gymnastics team was defeated 195.525-194.725 by the No. 33 Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday afternoon at Ohio State’s St. John’s Arena. Sophomore Allyson Sandusky took home a pair of titles on bars and beam, while senior Krissy Voss set a pair of season highs, but it wasn’t enough as Ohio State set season highs on bars, beam, and floor, as well as a season-high 195.525 team score.

“We just underperformed,” said head coach Jeff Thompson. “We’re one of the top 10 teams in the country when we’re right, but we just had mistakes on every event that were uncharacteristic of us. We were still on pace to go over 196, but we just came unglued on beam.”

Auburn began the meet on bars for the first time this year, and were led by Sandusky, who scored a 9.85 for the second consecutive meet and captured the third bar title of her career. Freshman Petrina Yokay chipped in a 9.825, while sophomore Kendall Swartz cracked the 9.8 barrier for the first time since the Kentucky meet. In total, Auburn scored a 48.950 in the first rotation.

Ohio State began on vault with three gymnasts scoring 9.8 or above, as Rebecca Best tallied a 9.85. She was followed by Taylor Jones’ 9.825 and Nicole Krauter’s 9.8. Ohio State totaled a 48.775, giving Auburn a .175 lead heading into the second rotation.

Auburn took to vault in the second rotation, where sophomore Kylie Shields led off with a 9.775. She was followed by a pair of 9.825’s by Voss, a season high, and freshman Maya Wickus. Freshman Toi Garcia then notched a 9.775 in the No. 5 spot to give the Tigers an event score of 48.925.

The Buckeyes, moving to bars in the second rotation, were led by Best’s 9.8. Hillary Dow followed and matched her teammate with a 9.8, while Colleen Dean and Jones scored 9.775’s as Ohio State totaled a 48.900 in the event. The Buckeyes season-high on bars resulted in the Tigers taking a slim 97.875-97.675 lead going into floor exercise. Auburn moved to floor in rotation three and struggled early on. However, a 9.8 by Shields followed by season-high 9.825 by Voss helped give the Tigers a 48.775 on floor.

Ohio State turned things around in rotation three with its second season-high score of the meet, this time with a 49.000 on beam. The Buckeyes were led by career highs as Dean scored a 9.875 and Best who tallied a 9.85, which was enough for the Buckeyes to take their first lead of the day, 146.675-146.650, heading into rotation four. Auburn began the fourth rotation by having to count a pair of falls on beam, as Brzostowski led off with a 9.225, followed by a 9.175 by junior Katie Hurley.  Auburn finished the apparatus strong, as Sandusky marked a 9.875, followed by Inniss’ second 9.9 of the season.

The Buckeyes sealed the meet on floor, scoring a season-best 48.850. Dean scored a 9.825, while Jones scored a 9.85 to give Ohio State an event score of 48.850 and secure their second straight victory over the Tigers.

The men’s meet, running simultaneously with the women, featured the No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners and the No. 5 Buckeyes, a meet that Oklahoma won.

Auburn continues its road swing next week, as the team travels to College Park, Md., for a quad-meet hosted by the Maryland Terrapins at 3 p.m. Also participating in the meet are the George Washington Colonials as well as the Yale Bulldogs.

Fresno State tops Tigers equestrian
FRESNO, Calif. — The No. 2 Auburn equestrian team fell 8-7 to No. 10 Fresno State on Saturday. The Tigers fell to 11-3 with the loss.

“We had some good rides, but it didn’t turn out in our favor,” said Auburn head coach Greg Williams. “We have a great opportunity to redeem ourselves against Kansas State (today).”

In Hunt Seat Equitation over Fences, Western Horsemanship and Western Reining, the Tigers and Bulldogs tied at 2-2. Fresno State defeated Auburn 2-1 in Hunt Seat Equitation on the Flat.

In Hunt Seat Equitation over Fences, the Tigers and Bulldogs tied at 2-2. Auburn’s Maggie McAlary defeated Chelsea Stone 78-45 and Ali Loprete defeated Jessica Kissell 70-58. Fresno State’s Holly Elsbernd defeated Dottie Grubb 71-60 and MVP Lisa Wells defeated Anna Becker 80-79.

In Hunt Seat Equitation on the Flat, the Bulldogs defeated the Tigers 2-1 behind MVP Lauren Carr. Carr defeated Mallory Kolpin 69-63 and Jessica Kissell defeated Lindsay Portela 63-62. Auburn’s Ali Loprete defeated Lisa Beach 66-64 while Fresno State’s Kimberly Steinbuch and Chelsea Anheuser tied at 66.

In Western Horsemanship, Auburn and Fresno State again tied 2-2. Fresno State’s Sammie Jo Stone defeated Kristin Hansen 72.5-72 and MVP Madison Silver defeated Kylie Miller 73-64. Auburn winners included Indy Roper over Ally Warkentin 72-71 and Jessica Jones over Christa Beezley 72-70.

In Western Reining, the Tigers and Bulldogs tied 2-2 for a third time. Fresno State winners included Shawna McClurg over Paige Monfore 68.5-63.5 and Sydney Coletti over Jillian Fuller 70-63. Auburn MVP Lyndsey Jordan defeated Keri Blackledge 72-71 and Kim Pope defeated Jill Tebbe 71-69.

Auburn returns to action today against No. 6 Kansas State in Fresno, Calif., at 11 a.m.

With or without the biggest symbol of optimism on Auburn’s campus, Jacobs concluded the future of Auburn’s basketball program with Jeff Lebo at the helm was cloudy. The commitment he made to the new building, Jacobs said, had to be matched in his actual commitment to the team that will be playing inside it.

Jacobs’ thought process kept coming back to wins and losses — something Lebo didn’t exactly have in his favor after six years on the job.

“Our No. 1 goal is to win, and we have to win ballgames,” Jacobs said. “I believe that all of our teams should be able to compete for championships, and I believe we have a great opportunity.”

With that in mind, Jacobs fired Lebo on Friday afternoon — less than 24 hours after the Tigers wrapped up another disappointing season with a first-round SEC Tournament loss to Florida.

A search will commence immediately, Jacobs said, though it is expected to drag out much longer than the 10 days it took to hire football coach Gene Chizik. The slightly relaxed pressure that comes with a basketball search because of its minimal effect on recruiting classes, combined with the upcoming NCAA Tournament, will likely make the length of this search a matter of weeks instead of days.

“I’m looking for the best guy for (the players),” Jacobs said. “An Auburn man that is the right fit for those current players and those signees that we have that represent them, represent this athletic department, represent the university and the Auburn family.”

Jacobs said he is already working with a short list of candidates, though he wouldn’t share any names. He said he was uncertain if Auburn would request the aid of a search firm, something the Tigers did for their previously vacant football and baseball coaching positions.

Senior associate athletics director Bernard Hill, who has supervised the men’s basketball team for the past year, will oversee the program in the meantime, Jacobs said. Hill will meet soon with Lebo’s former assistants, who may receive the option to continue working before a new coach is hired.

Jacobs said he’s not pigeon-holing the search to just current college head coaches, which opens the door for up-and-coming assistants or coaches from the professional level.

Early potential candidates include UTEP’s Tony Barbee, Miami’s Frank Haith, UAB’s Mike Davis and Auburn legend Chuck Person, who currently serves as a special assistant on the Los Angeles Lakers.

“We’re going to find the right fit,” Jacobs said. “The right guy that will represent these guys that we have here and these signees and gives us the best chance to compete.”

Lebo’s teams were certainly competitive during his six-year run, but consistent winning was a rarity. The Tigers managed just two winning seasons — one in the SEC — bowed out of the SEC Tournament after the first round in four of the past six years, reached the postseason just once and failed to make the NCAA Tournament.

Lebo, who came to Auburn after a combined six years at Chattanooga and Tennessee Tech, finished with a 96-93 overall record, while winning just 36 percent (35-61) of his regular-season conference games.

Only two coaches — Joel Eaves and Ralph “Shug” Jordan — have finished their Auburn careers with winning records against SEC opponents.

“I just believe we can win championships,” Jacobs said. “I believe we ought to be playing for championships and it doesn’t matter to me what the sport is. I believe we better be playing for championships and graduating our student-athletes. I believe that’s what the Auburn people expect and me being one of them, I expect that.”

Jacobs met with Lebo around noon Friday. His decision to fire Lebo was already made, but Jacobs “wanted to give him an opportunity to visit a little bit.”

Jacobs and Hill met with the team at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum around 2:30 p.m. to deliver the news and address any questions and concerns.

Players left the arena with the topic fresh on their minds, many of them discussing the future amongst themselves or calling others on their cell phones to spread the news.

“I’m (going to) miss my coach Jeff Lebo. Thank (you) for everything,” former point guard DeWayne Reed wrote on his Facebook page.

“It’s just a tough day,” said women’s basketball coach Nell Fortner, who, like Lebo, was hired in 2004 by acting athletic director Hal Baird.

“He just had some tough breaks along the way with injuries. It’s just a sad day because he’s a great coach.”

Lebo won’t go away from Auburn empty-handed. His contract, which runs through 2013, stipulates that he receive $500,000 per year through the end of the deal.

Lebo made $785,000 annually, ranking him at the bottom among SEC coaches.

Jacobs said Auburn plans to be “more competitive” in the SEC market.

“The key is the right fit and certainly the Auburn traditions and the values of Auburn are important,” Jacobs said. “But the No. 1 goal is to win.”

agribble@oanow.com| 737-2561

Chizik had the drive, the respect of players and a love for Auburn. As far as Jacobs was concerned, it was a no-brainer.

Well, here’s another one: Hire Chuck Person to replace Jeff Lebo.

You want to talk about a good “fit” for Auburn — for its basketball program? It’s Person. The Rifleman himself.

It just makes sense.

He’s an Auburn legend, who loves the university. His No. 45 jersey is one of just five hanging in the rafters of Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum. Soon it will move over to the new Auburn Arena.

And Person should be there in person to see it unveiled … as Auburn’s head coach.

And why not?

Think about it. What two things do the Auburn basketball program need more than anything? Players and excitement.

Sure, I can understand some might be hesitant, because there’s no proof of how Person would do as a recruiter. He’s been in the NBA for so long, could he adapt to the college world?

In a word: yes. I don’t think that would be a problem.

As a player, coach and executive in the NBA for 25 years, my guess is he can evaluate talent. I’m quite sure he knows a good player when he sees one.

Also, I don’t think it’d be very hard to get a recruit excited about playing for him. I mean, this guy knows basketball. And he knows what it takes to make it in the NBA — which is the goal for anyone who can dribble.

He’s currently a special assistant on the L.A. Lakers staff, learning under one of the best coaches ever in Phil Jackson and helping coach a player like Kobe Bryant.

That’s pretty good experience right there. Don’t you think?

To top it all off, he’d have the new arena to sell. It’s pretty nice over there, you know?

And that brings us to the “excitement.”

Person would pump it in by the truckload. This guy is one of the best to ever wear an Auburn uniform. He’s the Tigers’ all-time leading scorer for a career (2,311 points) and for a season (747).

When he came back to be honored a few weeks ago with the rest of the 1985 team that won the SEC Tournament — taking four games in four days — Person received the loudest ovation out of anyone.

After that halftime ceremony, everyone wanted an autograph or to have their photo taken with him. He was like the mayor of BEMC or something.

Imagine the Tigers’ first game in the Auburn Arena. All the glitz and glamour, all the hype and hoopla, and in the middle of it all, here comes Chuck Person leading the team out of the locker room.

Talk about excitement. The Brantley native comes home to lead the program he helped build out of the doldrums.

The roof might come off that place on the first night.

Of course, a few things have to come together for all this to happen.

Does Jacobs want Person?

Well, without naming names, Jacobs does want “the right fit.”

“An Auburn man that is the right fit for those current players and those signees that we have that represent them, represent this athletic department, represent the university and the Auburn family,” Jacobs said Friday evening. “That’s what we’re going to look for.”

Ahem.

Second, would Person want Auburn?

From what he said Thursday night during halftime of the SEC Tournament in Nashville, Tenn., Auburn would be a place he’d definitely consider.

And, as he was assessing the job Lebo has done in six years, Person had some ideas about what it takes to win at a place like, say, Auburn.

“…You can’t win unless you get players, and that’s the main thing,” Person said Thursday. “The kids are in a situation where Auburn is a football school, so you have to understand the dynamics of the situation in order to realize your prospects of winning when you’re a coach at a school like that.”

Person knows the dynamic at Auburn. He’s lived it.

Sure, there are a bunch of other names floating around out there for guys that would be candidates to replace Lebo. Guys like UTEP’s Tony Barbee, Missouri’s Mike Anderson and Miami’s Frank Haith.

But if we’re talking about “fit,” Person sizes up very well.

MIKE SZVETITZ is sports editor of the Opelika-Auburn News. He may be reached at mszvetitz@oanow.comor 737-2513.

Arizona State answered Auburn’s five-run top of the fifth with six runs in the bottom half of the frame, snapping Auburn’s six-game winning streak in the process.

“We have to find a way to bridge the gap between our starter and the end of the game. I thought that was the difference today,” Auburn head coach John Pawlowski said. “We had a 7-2 lead and against a good team you have to keep the momentum in your dugout. Arizona State put some good swings together (in the fifth) and we gave them some base runners and they took the lead.”

Auburn (9-3) starter Cory Luckie departed after giving Auburn a solid 4 1/3 innings, leaving with Auburn up 7-4 but with a pair of runners on. Zach Blatt entered and could only retire one of the six batters he faced, leaving after allowing three hits, a walk and a hit batter, leaving with Auburn on the wrong side of an 8-7 score. Luckie was charged for six runs on eight hits and three walks, striking out three.

Kevin Patterson put some life back into Auburn when he crushed an eighth-inning, pinch-hit home run to center, tying the game at 8 and taking Blatt off the hook but Arizona State answered by scoring an unearned run in the bottom half of the eighth on an RBI groundout, taking the series-opening win.

Jordan Swagerty picked up his fourth save of the season by striking out the side in the top half of the ninth, going through the two, three and four hitters in Auburn’s lineup.

Sean Ray (0-1) was the hard-luck loser for Auburn despite retiring the first seven hitters he faced and not allowing a hit. The southpaw was snake bitten by an Auburn fielding error to start the eighth which led to the game-winning run.

Jake Barrett (1-0) earned his first win of the season despite surrendering Patterson’s monster blast.

Arizona State (13-0) took a 2-0 lead in the second on a Deven Marrero RBI double and a Drew Maggie sac fly before Casey McElroy’s first home run of the year tied the game at 2 in the top of the fourth. The sophomore smashed the first pitch of his at-bat over the fence in center following a Brian Fletcher single to right that extended the junior’s hitting streak to 17 games dating to last season.

Auburn pounced on Arizona State for five unearned runs in the top of the fifth to take a 7-2 lead, capitalizing on a pair of Arizona State errors to start the inning. Creede Simpson’s one-out double scored Justin Bryant and Dan Gamache, both of which reached on ASU fielding errors.

A Hunter Morris single scored Simpson and then a blast to right by Fletcher gave Auburn a seemingly commanding five-run lead. The home run by Fletcher was the seventh of the season for the outfielder.

Arizona State answered Auburn’s five-run inning with six runs of its own to reclaim the lead, 8-7. Arizona State tagged Blatt for a single and a double, he hit a batter and issued a bases-loaded walk, turning the tables in Arizona State’s favor before Ray got Auburn out of the inning only down a run after entering with the bases loaded.

Auburn will try and even the series up today at 7:30 p.m., sending Cole Nelson (3-0, 1.40) to the hill against Arizona State’s Merrill Kelly (3-0, 4.20).

Ferguson led a 1-2 Auburn finish in the 200 meters, winning in 23.09 seconds while sophomore teammate Nivea Smith finished second in 23.12.

Ferguson, who had been third in the prelims with a time of 23.20, became the second Auburn woman to win the 200 meters at the NCAA indoor meet, joining Kerron Stewart, who won the title in 2007. Her time ranks third in Auburn indoor history, while Smith’s time ranks her fifth. The 18 team points earned by the duo is currently good enough to put the Auburn women in first place in the team standings, although just six of 17 events have been complete and the Tigers have just two more events in which they can score points.

“I ran the 60 earlier, and did well, so I really took that momentum into the 200,” said Ferguson. “I wanted to execute as well as I know I can. In the heats I didn’t get out as well as I should have so I had to make up for it at the end. In the final I made an adjustment and was able to win it.”

In addition to her national title, Ferguson also reached today’s finals of the women’s 60 meters. She finished fourth in her heat and tied for seventh overall with a time of 7.27 seconds, although the eight finalists were separated by just .03 seconds.

Meanwhile, sophomore Marcus Rowland finished fourth in the men’s 200 meters, clocking a time in the finals of 20.62. Rowland, who clocked a personal-best time of 20.59 seconds earlier in the evening during the prelims, earned his fourth career All-American honor, and his third in the 200 meters.

Rowland also advanced to the finals of the men’s 60 meter dash, winning his heat and finishing second overall with a personal-best time of 6.58 seconds. Rowland, who bested his previous best of 6.60 seconds, trailed only Florida Jeffrey Demps (6.56) in the prelims and will compete in the finals today. Redshirt freshman Harry Adams finished ninth in the prelims with a time of 6.67 seconds, missing the eighth and final spot in the finals by four one-thousandths of a second.

In addition, junior Joanne Atkins blazed to a school-record time of 52.47 seconds in the prelims of the women’s 400 meters, winning her heat and finishing third overall to advance to today’s finals. She beat the previous school record of 52.56 seconds set by Markita James in 2006.

“We had a lot of bad breaks at the SEC meet but we bounced back nicely tonight,” said head coach Ralph Spry. “We did about as well as we possibly could have done tonight. It’s tough for our kids who are in the 60 and 200, since they have to run three races in one night, but they did a tremendous job. The women’s 200 meters was huge for us. It gives us a chance for a top-five finish. We have two big guns going tomorrow for both the women and the men and we still have a chance to be a major factor in this meet.”

The NCAA Indoor Championships will conclude today. In addition to Atkins, Ferguson and Rowland, sophomore Ryan Fleck will compete in the men’s high jump.