Auburn women’s basketball was back in action in Neville Arena Sunday afternoon when the Tigers defeated Louisiana 81-41 to win their fourth straight game, their second straight win by 40 points.
The Tigers started the game with a 3-pointer from Honesty Scott-Grayson and they never looked back. Auburn thrived behind the arc, shooting 55% from three, the team's second-best effort from three on the season. The Tigers also shot a season-high 56% from the field.
“They did a really good job and got the open shots,” said head coach Johnnie Harris. “I didn’t think we forced any of them, I thought they were good shots and I think we have players that can make those shots.”
The Tigers tied their season-high of nine blocks in a strong defensive effort. Auburn came into the game ranked No. 5 in the nation in blocks per game averaging 6.4 per game. Auburn also managed to force 20 turnovers and held the Ragin’ Cajuns to 29% from the field and 13% from three.
Aicha Coulibaly led the Tigers with 15 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. Coulibaly struggled offensively in the first half, but came out firing in the second half shooting 5-for-7 with 12 points.
“I thought we came out a little rusty, but they bounced back,” Harris said. “I keep saying (Auburn is) inexperienced, but they are hungry, they are trying to do the right thing, so sometimes it just takes a little bit of getting with them to remind them."
Honesty Scott-Grayson managed to put up 13 points, five rebounds and two steals for the Tigers less than 24 hours after graduating from Auburn with a degree in psychology.
“[This weekend] was very busy, Friday for the first half of the graduation reception and then Saturday was right back at it with walking the stage,” Scott-Grayson said. “We had a big turnaround with the game today, so it was very long, but it was all worth it.”
Sydney Shaw set a new career-high with 15 points while shooting 5-for-7 from the field and 3-for-4 from behind the arc. Shaw was also able to tie her career-high six assists.
“I was just letting it fly, I wasn’t really thinking too much about my shot and I was just making easy reads and not overthinking the game too much,” Shaw said.
Louisiana was led offensively by Nubia Benedith’s 11 points. Tamera Johson tallied eight rebounds and two blocks for the Ragin’ Cajuns while Lanay Wheaton managed to grab five steals.
With the win, the Tigers improve to 7-2 on the season, their best start since opening the 2018-19 season 12-1. Auburn is also off to its best start under Harris in her second year as the Tigers’ head coach. The Ragin’ Cajuns fall to 5-5 on the season.
The Tigers will be back in action Thursday at 7 p.m. when they take on North Carolina A&T in Neville Arena.
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Chris Mendoza is a senior from Huntsville, Ala. majoring in journalism and minoring in sports coaching. He started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
Twitter: @chris_mendoza20
