Women’s basketball has officially begun on the Plains.
The Auburn Tigers women’s basketball team defeated Jacksonville State University 78-49 on Monday night to claim its first victory of the season.
“I thought my kids played really hard,” said Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris. “We wanted to focus on playing fast but not in a hurry. I thought we did that.”
Auburn put on a dominant offensive performance, going 29-for-61 (47%) from inside the paint and 4-for-9 (44%) from three. Honesty Scott-Grayson led the Tigers with 14 points followed by Savannah Scott and Kaitlyn Duhon who each scored 13 points.
Scott, a 6-foot-4 freshman from Arkansas, played in her first regular season collegiate basketball game, going 6-for-7 from the paint and grabbing eight rebounds.
“(Scott) has a very high basketball IQ. She came from a good program, and she’s been coached hard,” Harris said. “She always plays hard. She is getting challenged everyday in practice, and that’s paying off for her.”
The Tigers got off to a shaky start in the first quarter, allowing 20 points from Jacksonville State. The Gamecocks went 8-for-18 in the first quarter from inside and 2-for-4 from beyond the arc as the Tigers struggled to prevent drives down the middle of the paint from the Gamecocks.
After the first quarter, Auburn made some defensive adjustments, and for the rest of the matchup, the Tigers allowed only 29 points from Jacksonville State.
“We told them to stop the middle drive,” Harris said. “That made a big difference. We got on the boards a little bit better. We contested shots a little bit better. We played a little bit tougher. So, I thought we bounced back and played better after [the first quarter].”
The Tigers controlled the boards on Monday night, outrebounding Jacksonville State 43-31. Along with Scott’s eight rebounds, Scott-Grayson totaled six rebounds, followed by five rebounds from Celia Sumbane.
Guard Mar’shaun Bostic’s quickness on the court created fast break opportunities for the Tigers throughout the matchup, allowing Auburn to dominate the matchup both offensively and defensively.
“My junior year is supposed to be the year I run the floor,” Bostic said. “I’m the one that facilitates the plays and plays hard on defense. Coach J really helped me build my confidence to be the player I am today.”
Bostic finished the night with 12 points, four steals, and three rebounds.
The Tigers continue their nonconference schedule as they take on Louisiana in Neville Arena on Thursday, Nov. 9. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. and will be televised on SEC Network+.
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Grace Heim is a junior from Enterprise, Alabama, majoring in English Literature. She started with The Plainsman in January 2023.
