The Auburn Tigers Women’s basketball team welcomed the winless Alabama State Hornets into Neville Arena Wednesday evening, and walked away with a win that lit up the box score. In a game that saw the Tigers score the most points in the Johnnie Harris era, Auburn would roll to a huge 94-37 victory over the in-state foe.
The final score was not close, and neither was the game at any point. Auburn roared out to a massive 35-2 lead with 6:53 remaining in the first half.
“The game plan was to set the tone,” said Tigers Assistant Coach Fred Williams. “It helps when you can get steals and make shots early.”
The stifling defense was a theme all night long. The huge defensive performance led to 40 Alabama State turnovers, in which Auburn was able to cash in 53 points.
More impressively, the Tigers set the program record for single game steals, with 28. 12 players had at least one steal, with Celia Sumbane leading the way with five. Carsen McFadden recorded the 27th steal of the night to submit the all time defensive outing into the record books.
“The stats don’t lie,” said Williams on the defensive performance. “It’s a lot of work, what they’ve done, and hopefully we can build on this.”
The scoring for the Tigers in the 57 point rout was extremely balanced. Auburn put four different players in double figures, and 12 different players in the score sheet. Graduate guard Honesty Scott-Grayson led the team in the scoring category, putting up 24 points and scoring double digit points for the eighth time this season.
“The kids played hard,” said head coach Johnnie Harris. “I thought we had continuity through substitution. The kids off the bench played really hard as well. I thought we set the tone.”
Auburn would not take their foot off the gas, still putting up shots and scoring late in the fourth quarter. The Tigers would score twice in the final 20 seconds of action to drive home the resounding victory.
“It’s hard even though you’re up to tell them not to play hard,” said Harris. “They’re still going to play hard. They’re still going to do what we do.”
Auburn would also benefit from a season high 60 points in the paint. The Tigers had their way with the Alabama State defenders all night long in the interior.
“Our coaches talked about how important it would be to get paint touches, get it inside,” said Senior forward Taylen Collins, who had a strong 17 point, four rebound performance. “We used our size a lot.”
A big night in Neville Arena for coach Johnnie Harris and her Auburn Tigers behind historic defensive numbers will look to bring added momentum to the Tigers five game win streak. Three more crucial non-conference matchups await the Tigers with SEC play looming.
Up next is another game inside Neville Arena, as the Tigers are set to face Norfolk State on December 16th. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. CT, and coverage can be found on the Auburn Sports Network or SECN+.
