The Tigers' traveling Tanner tandem will stay in town for at least one more game.
Auburn women's basketball team began what it hopes will be another deep run in the Women's NIT on Thursday night with a 78-64 victory against visiting Furman at Auburn Arena.
The Tanner sisters led the way once again for Auburn. Senior Tyrese scored 17 points and added 7 rebounds, while sophomore Tra'cee also had 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting.
"Nobody ever wants it to be (the end), so we had to make sure everybody was on the same page so it won't happen," Tyrese said. "I think we did that tonight. We looked like a team out there -- moving the ball around, pushing it and getting our stops on defense. Tonight, after our first four minutes, I felt like it wouldn't be our last game together."
Auburn freshman guards Khady Dieng and Brandi Montgomery also posted double digits in scoring Thursday night. Dieng scored a career-high 16 points and hit all eight of her free throws in the victory.
"We were definitely ready to play, but after being out since the Southeastern Conference [tournament], you could see a little rust there," said Auburn head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy. "But I think we picked it up a lot better in the second half."
After a back-and-forth start to the game, Auburn opened up a double-digit lead with a 12-0 run midway through the first half. Three consecutive free throws from Dieng opened a run that featured three Furman turnovers and an air-balled 3-point attempt from the visitors.
"If you remember, (Dieng) finished the regular season strongly," Williams-Flournoy said. "Once we came back from spring break, she has been really focused. She did a great job in practice."
Tra'cee went 6-of-6 from the floor in the first half against an undersized Furman team whose tallest starter was listed at 6-foot-1.
"That's definitely an advantage we tried to emphasize," Tra'cee said. "We tried to work inside-out tonight, and that's what we did tonight."
The Paladins responded with a 7-0 run before the halftime whistle, but the Tigers quickly reinstated another big lead early in the second half.
Tyrese hit a jumper to pull her to the Top 10 ranks of all-time scorers at Auburn midway through the second half. The oldest Tanner now has 1,480 career points, but she said she was not focused on any awards before the start of the Thursday's game.
"I just like to win," Tyrese said. "I just want to keep playing this postseason and making the most of what will be my last season here."
Williams-Flournoy unloaded the Tiger bench midway through the first half and gave several reserve players extended minutes against the Southern Conference runners-up.
"At this point in late March, it's been a long season," Williams-Flournoy said. "Our starters have played a lot of minutes, so when you have the opportunity to get other people in, you want to rest your starters as much as you can."
Auburn's 3-point defense was suspect in the final minutes as Furman drilled three triples in less than a minute of action to threaten the potential rout.
However, the Tigers stayed true from the free-throw line and stiffened their defense to grab a 14-point first round victory in the annual postseason tournament.
Auburn will host Old Dominion in the second round of the Women's NIT. The game is scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m. at Auburn Arena.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
