Auburn women’s basketball kicked off its five-game home stand with a bang, defeating Alabama State 94-37 for the program’s fifth consecutive win. The Tigers capitalized on a strong start on both ends of the floor, keeping the winless Hornets at bay.
“I just wanted to light a fire under them,” said head coach Jonnie Harris following the win. “So I wanted them to start defensively, know their job. If we got the jump ball and I wanted to attack. So the message to them was to establish your dominance early.”
Harris' defense certainly achieved that and more, holding the Hornets to just two points in the first quarter. Auburn, on the other hand, scored 21 of its 27 first-quarter points off 15 Alabama State turnovers.
The Tigers’ 28 steals on the night set a new school record—the most by the program since Dec. 18, 2022, when Auburn turned Samford over 24 times. Celia Sumbane led the team with five steals, followed by Taylen Collins and Kaitlyn Duhon with four steals each. Twelve of the 15 Tigers who saw the court had a steal against Alabama State.
“We've been working on it. That's our bread and butter—getting steals. Staying up the line. We were able to do that for our coaching staff,” said Auburn graduate student Honesty Scott-Grayson. “I hope they're pleased.”
And pleased the coaching staff was according to Harris.
“Yes, definitely. We were pleased with the steals and the points off turnovers. I think that may be the most points off turnovers that we've had since I've been here,” Harris said.
To say that the Tigers’ defense propelled the offense forward would be an understatement. Auburn turned Alabama State’s 40 turnovers into 53 of the Tigers’ season-high 94 points.
“I think that it (defense) sets a tone for us,” Collins said. “Especially because we pride ourselves so much on defense. And so when we can get that to turn into our offense, I think it just makes the game so much easier for us.”
Collins, Sumbane and Scott-Grayson were not only Auburn’s top three scorers but all set new season highs against the Hornets.
Scott-Grayson led the Tigers on the offensive end with 24 points and three assists. It’s the second time in the last three games that Scott-Grayson has scored a new season high.
Auburn also had a season-high 23 assists on the night, with Sumbane leading the team with a personal season high of seven assists to go alongside her 11 points.
“The chemistry is getting better. And our kids have always had chemistry since this group got here, but the chemistry on the floor comes with experience playing together. And I think you can see that,” Harris said. “I think they're starting to know each other, and they're playing harder. They're trusting each other.”
The Tigers will look to extend their win streak to six with Norfolk State coming to Neville Arena for the second of five straight home games for Auburn on Saturday, Dec. 16. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. CST, with television coverage available on SECN+.
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Patrick is a sophomore from Auburn, Alabama, double majoring in journalism and marketing. He started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
