In an age of transfers, coaching changes and promotions, reunion games are more common than ever in college sports.

That’s what Auburn women’s basketball’s 74-57 loss to Texas was Thursday night for head coach Johnnie Harris and leading scorer DeYona Gaston.

Both came to Auburn from Texas and Harris spent eight seasons working with Texas head coach Vic Schaefer, both in Austin and at Mississippi State.

“Johnnie’s somebody near and dear to my heart and doing a great job,” Schaefer said after the game.

Auburn has started Southeastern Conference play 0-5, but Schaefer pointed out the injuries that the Tigers have dealt with when complimenting what Harris has done with the program.

Harris was asked after the game about coaching against her former boss and some former players, but downplayed the effect it has on the game itself.

“Those coaches and a lot of those players that we recruited are like family to us,” Harris said. “When you’re on the floor, you’re competing, and so you don’t even really think about that. But before the game, after the game, it is good.”

Gaston was asked the same question, and her response was similar, noting that it was nice to see some of the former teammates that she spent time with.

“It was good to see my people there, because it was nice to see familiar faces,” Gaston said with a smile. “But also, when it gets to the game, you don’t be familiar no more. So, I try to stay calm and collected.”

Gaston had another impressive game against the Longhorns, finishing with 18 points on 7-for-12 shooting.

She came into Thursday’s game averaging 22.3 points per game and has scored in double figures in nine straight contests.

“She’s done a lot for them. No question about it, she’s had to score for them,” Schaefer said of his former player. “With [Taliah] Scott getting hurt, they’ve been — I’m sure they’ve been a little bit limited and so she’s had to do a lot. And she’s done a great job for them.”

Fourteen of Gaston’s 18 points came in the second half, a half the Tigers hope to build on as the hunt for their first SEC win of the season continues.

Auburn’s next game comes against Missouri, another team still searching for its first conference win. It could be a chance to reset for Auburn, but Harris understands that nothing will be handed to them, and it will take another performance similar to Auburn’s 23-15 fourth quarter against Texas.

“The mindset is, we have to win, but it’s not going to be given, so we’ve got to go get it,” Harris said. “It starts tonight for us, but it starts tomorrow for them. They gotta come in and we gotta put this one behind us.”

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m