ATLANTA — Auburn players and coaches were in the stands after the final buzzer sounded from McCamish Pavilion on Sunday. The Tigers had knocked off No. 18 Georgia Tech, 59-51, on its home court.
It was the first road win over a ranked opponent since Feb. 13, 2014, for Auburn.
“It is incredible, but you know, it’s incredible for this team,” said first-year head coach Johnnie Harris. “For this team who didn’t win a game in the SEC [last season]. We’re just teaching them to fight and just go as hard as they can every day.”
Following the win against Alabama State, Honesty Scott-Grayson said that the coaching staff had emphasized finishing games. Against Georgia Tech on Sunday, With a 17-point lead at halftime, Auburn didn’t back down and held its ground to pull off the upset.
“It was a total team effort,” Harris said.
The game opened with both teams scoring a few baskets to get the game to a 6-6 tie. Auburn then went on a scoring run of 23-3 to push the lead out to 29-9. All five starters found the scorecard, as Scott-Grayson led the charge with eight points in the run.
“I felt like we started out with great energy,” Scott-Grayson said.
Scott-Grayson was once again the Tigers’ leading scorer on offense, dropping 18 points in the win. She shot 4-for-8 from 3-point range, including a buzzer-beater at the end of the first quarter.
“I’m not even going to lie to you, I just saw there was one second and I just threw it up there,” Scott-Grayson said. “Really a hail mary, I didn’t think it would go in. I was staring at it for a second and then when it went in, I was like ‘It is what it is.”
The junior guard has been a vital part of Auburn’s success this season and Sunday was no different. Along with Annie Hughes, Scott-Grayson was on the court for all 40 minutes of the game.
“She’s just so wiry, it’s hard to get your body on her,” Harris said. “When she’s playing hard, she’s just a tough match up. She was smaller, they were long, she used her quickness to get around them and get her shot off. Honesty was a tough matchup for them and when she comes to play like she played tonight, she’s a next-level player.”
When it rained, it poured for the Auburn offense. The Tigers shot 50% from the field in the first half, as seven players had shots go down for Auburn.
Turnovers were something that Auburn looked to clean up against Georgia Tech after committing 21 against Alabama State. On Sunday, the Tigers were in the positive in turnover margin and limited their turnovers to just nine, a season-low.
Meanwhile, Auburn forced Georgia Tech to commit 15 turnovers, 12 of which came in the first half.
“It was really big,” Harris said of the turnover differential. “I thought that was one of our keys to the game, was taking care of the ball. It was ‘do your job.’ Everybody needed to do their job and I thought in the first half, for the most part, everybody did their job.”
The Tigers also drew 18 Georgia Tech fouls throughout the game, several of which were called as charges and offensive fouls. It was one way for Auburn to make up for its lack of size, as the Yellow Jackets controlled that category.
“We work on that all the time, that’s the staple of the defense, we work on taking charges,” Harris said. “We knew we couldn’t guard them one-on-one, we knew we had to help.”
Georgia Tech battled back into the game in the second half, continuing to slowly draw within striking range. The Auburn lead never fell to below five, as the Tigers pushed the lead back out when the Yellow Jackets drew close.
Playing clean and avoiding major foul trouble were contributing factors to Auburn’s final stand in the fourth according to Harris.
“That, and toughness,” Harris said. “We’ve been talking about toughness. Part of what I told them before we left the locker room is ‘We’re the underdog. We’re expected to lose.’ Nobody knows what’s in your heart. That’s why we play the game.”
When the final buzzer sounded, it was party time for the Auburn bench and fans.
Auburn will continue its road trip with a Wednesday matchup against Little Rock in Arkansas. The game will start at 1 p.m CST and will be broadcast on SEC Network.
“From first quarter to fourth quarter, we just had the mentality of ‘Just keep pushing and keep fighting' and we had to finish,” Scott-Grayson said. “ That’s what we did tonight.”
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.
Originally from Helena, Ala., Caleb Jones is a senior studying journalism at Auburn University. He has been on staff with The Plainsman since 2019.
You can follow him here on Twitter: @calebjsports
