JaMya Mingo-Young, strong third quarter powers Auburn to victory over Norfolk State

Head coach Johnnie Harris and her basketball team are on a stretch of successful games as Auburn picked up its sixth straight win Saturday afternoon with a 67-39 win over Norfolk State.

Guard JaMya Mingo-Young played a key role in the win, posting 16 points, five rebounds and four assists – all of which were team highs. Mingo-Young was impressive in getting to the free-throw line too, totaling 12 attempts and a perfect 12 makes from the charity stripe to raise her season average to 85%. Her 12-for-12 performance tied an Auburn school record for most free-throw attempts in a game without a miss.

“Just a whole lot of practice, practice, practice,” Mingo-Young said about her free-throw shooting. “We shoot free throws everyday when we have practice. We shoot a lot of them, so just being up there having muscle memory.”

Mingo-Young, a transfer from Alabama in her first season on the Plains, was recently inserted into the starting lineup by Harris, and since becoming a starter, has averaged 9.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. In Auburn’s win against Norfolk State, Mingo-Young was also clean handling the ball as she did not turn the ball over once.

“I think the zero turnovers make me the most proud,” Mingo-Young said.

Going into Saturday’s game, Auburn ranked No. 281 in the country in free-throw percentage, successfully making just 65% of the team’s attempts. Against the Spartans though, the Tigers shot 21-of-26 from the line, giving them a success rate of 80.8%. With the team’s free-throw performance fueled by Mingo-Young’s perfect night, Harris was proud of the veteran guard for her consistency at the line.

“[Getting to the free-throw line] is really important,” Harris said. “Just that and then a toughness that you have to step up there and make it especially when we haven’t been shooting it very well but [Mingo-Young] wanted it.”

Auburn opened the game on an 8-0 run to jump out to a hot start, but Norfolk State battled back to keep the game in hand and even take the lead in the second quarter. But the flip switched in a third quarter that saw the Tigers outscore the Spartans 27-7.

Started by a Taylen Collins layup, Auburn went on a 23-2 run over the final seven minutes of the third quarter. Mingo-Young led the way but guard Honesty Scott-Grayson played a big role in the run too, scoring eight points in the third quarter and another four in the final quarter after a scoreless first half in which she shot 0-for-6.

“I challenged Honesty at halftime,” Harris said. “I didn’t think she came out ready to play, and I challenged her at halftime. I put her on the best player, and I thought she responded to that. And that just didn’t affect us on the offensive end, it affected us on the defensive end as well.”

Scott-Grayson, Auburn’s leading scorer coming into the game, finished Saturday’s contest with 12 points and four rebounds.

Carrying a 26-point lead into the fourth quarter, the Tigers had no issue putting the Spartans away as Auburn outscored Norfolk State again in the fourth quarter.

Auburn entered its matchup on Saturday ranked 24th in the country in forced turnovers per game. The Tigers were coming off a record-breaking performance in which they turned Alabama State over 40 times in Neville Arena on Wednesday. Auburn’s swarming defense made its mark again against the Spartans – forcing them into more turnovers (27) than made field goals (16).

“We just want to get up and apply pressure, be in the passing lanes, and it makes it easier for us especially like how communicative we are on the court,” Collins said.

Auburn puts its six-game winning streak on the line on Wednesday, Dec. 20 when the Tigers host Washington State inside Neville Arena. The game starts at 2 p.m. CST and will be televised on SEC Network+.