After routing Nicholls State 80-59, Auburn women’s basketball is advancing to the second round of the Preseason Women's NIT.
Auburn moves to 2-0 while improving its record against opponents from the Southland Conference to 24-1.
After scoring 13 in a season-opening win over Grambling State, Daisa Alexander scored 20 points while adding on two steals and five rebounds.
“Kudos to Daisa for staying with it and not jumping ship, transferring, or going somewhere else like a lot of people do,” Auburn head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. “This generation doesn’t believe in the process. [Daisa] believed in the process and she knew that her time was going to come. She’s reaping the rewards of it now.”
To stump any attempt of allowing the Colonels to fall into a rhythm, Auburn’s defense played full-court press and constantly attacked the ball while causing 24 turnovers as the Tigers compiled 18 steals on the night.
Senior guards Emari Jones and Janiah McKay helped carry the load, allowing the offense to spread the floor and create opportunities in the paint. As a whole, the Tigers scored 36 points around the basket while snatching 42 rebounds.
Unique Thompson had a game-high 10 rebounds alongside six points, four steals and two blocks.
While maintaining control of her team, McKay led the team with seven assists to go along with 14 points and three steals. Jones added 15 points in addition to eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and a momentum-stealing block that came in the second quarter.
“I thought we started the game well," McKay said. "Our biggest problem ironically, is our droughts on defense. When we turn up the pressure, we stay more engaged."
In advance of a meeting at New Mexico state for the second round of the WNIT, Williams-Flournoy said that the team's current success at home should not be an indicator for success on the road.
“One of the things you need to get ready for is to go on the road and play, we haven’t done that yet this season. We’ve got a lot of freshmen that are playing, so we just got to be ready to play on the road,” Williams-Flournoy said.
Having one day to prepare for a quarterfinal matchup on the road, Williams-Flournoy harps on her players taking care of their bodies early in the season.
“This gets us ready for the SEC tournament, as well as the NCAA tournament,” Williams-Flournoy said.
Williams-Flournoy's squad travels to New Mexico to take on the Lobos on Sunday, Nov. 11, at 3 p.m. CT.
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