AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn Tigers (17-10, 6-8) topped the Texas A&M Aggies (18-9, 6-8) Sunday afternoon in Neville Arena. The win edges the Tigers ever closer to their first NCAA Tournament bid under coach Johnnie Harris.
Auburn was slow out of the gate, scoring just six points in the first quarter. All six came courtesy of Kaitlyn Duhon steals that she turned into easy layups on the other end. The Tigers defense and rebounding kept them afloat long enough to strike back in the second.
The Tigers took the lead in the second quarter and never looked back. Texas A&M kept it close as long as they could, but Auburn’s stifling defense kept them at arm’s length.
The Aggies were prepared for the scoring ability Auburn’s star guard Honesty Scott-Grayson. She was held to just nine points on 14.3% from the field, but she made her impact felt elsewhere, adding seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
“They came out with a really good defensive pan for Honesty,” said coach Johnnie Harris after the game. “We had some other players step up.”
Step up they did. Sydney Shaw, Taylen Collins, and JaMya Mingo-Young led all scorers with 10 points each. Auburn dominated the hustle stats, outrebounding A&M 41-30, and besting them in fast-break and second-chance points. The Tigers 14 steals led to 22 points off turnovers.
The free throw line was also crucial to the Tigers’ success. They shot 88.9% at the stripe, over 18% above their season average. Those 16 points were huge in the low-scoring affair.
Sydney Shaw hit three tough shots as the shot clock expired, two of which were unassisted. When asked about her thought process, she said, “Honestly, I know I shouldn’t say this, I wasn’t thinking about how critical it was. I was thinking about the time going down.”
Coach Harris stopped her to say, “No, that’s a good thing.”
Shaw continued. “Yeah, ‘cause once I get to thinking, it’s gonna be an airball. I was just like, well, I got a little bit of space. I’m gonna shoot it now.”
Shaw’s 10 points marked a season high in conference play. “She comes to work,” Coach Harris said of her after the game.
With an attendance of 3,760, Auburn Women’s basketball set a single-season attendance record. Coach Harris was asked for her thoughts on that following the game.
“That’s really special,” she said. “Our fans have been coming out. We’re building this program. We’re a long way from where we were, and we’re still a long way from where we want to be… These kids love Auburn.”
The Tigers are one step closer to a goal that was set when Coach Harris came in three years ago: making the NCAA Tournament. With their win over Texas A&M, they move a tie for eighth place in the SEC and add to a tournament-worthy résumé. Two games remain before the conference tournament. Mississippi State comes to Neville Arena Thursday, and then the Tigers travel to Gainesville to take on Florida in their final game of the regular season next Sunday.
