The Auburn Tigers women’s basketball team snapped a nine-game losing streak to its in-state foe on Sunday, beating Alabama 78-65 in Neville Arena.
Current WNBA player and Auburn’s all-time leader scorer DeWanna Bonner was in attendance on Sunday as the Tigers retired Bonner’s jersey, putting No. 24 in the rafters of Neville Arena.
“This is my home. This is where I grew up, ” Bonner said. “For me to be here, and for me to see it, and for them to do it on this day, I will forever be thankful.”
Starting the first quarter on a 12-0 run, the Tigers dominated the Tide from the start and led for 36:37 of the contest. Auburn went 5-for-5 on its first five shots in the contest, going on to make eight of its first nine attempted buckets.
“We wanted to set the tone, and I feel like we did,” said Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris. “I was really pleased with our offensive execution early in the ballgame. I’m just really happy with the win.”
The Tigers led the Crimson Tide 22-6 at the end of the first quarter as Alabama went 3-for-11 (27.3%) and recorded eight turnovers in the quarter. Auburn finished the quarter 9-for-14 (64.3%) from the field and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc.
Graduate student Honesty Scott-Grayson was the leading scorer for the Tigers with 19 points, going 6-for-9 from the field and 7-for-9 from the charity line. Scott-Grayson scored six of Auburn’s first quarter points.
After Auburn put up a dominant first quarter both on the offensive and defensive ends of the court, the Crimson Tide fought their way back into the game throughout the second and third quarter. In the second quarter, Alabama outscored Auburn 24-18, shooting 7-for-15 on field goals, 2-for-4 from the outside and limiting turnovers to three. At the end of the first half, the Tigers led the Tide 40-30.
Adding to its second quarter momentum, Alabama outscored Auburn 21-10 in the third quarter, going on an 18-4 run in the third to take a 49-48 lead with 1:55 left to play in the quarter.
Adding to its lead, Alabama guard Jessica Timmons made a layup off an Auburn turnover to give the Tide a 51-48 lead with 48 seconds left in the third quarter. Timmons’ layup was followed by a layup from Auburn center Savannah Scott to put the Tigers down by one heading into the contest's final quarter.
“We knew we had to make an adjustment,” Scott-Grayson said. “They kept driving and we kept fouling, so I feel like it was very important to make that adjustment within ourselves as a team. Just stay the course and not let that rattle us.”
The Tigers made some offensive and defensive adjustments heading into the fourth quarter and took the lead back from two made free throws from Scott with 8:49 left to play. Auburn would hold the lead against the Crimson Tide for the rest of the contest, outscoring Alabama 28-14 in the final quarter and holding its opponent to 4-for-14 from the field and 1-for-7 from the three-point line.
Scott-Grayson scored nine points in the fourth quarter, leading the Tigers in the final period.
“Basketball is a game of runs,” Harris said. “We had to be able to withstand that run. We had to be able to make an adjustment and throw something different. Sometimes that’s the difference in the ballgame.”
Next, the Tigers look to carry their momentum to their matchup against Georgia on Monday, Jan. 29 at 6 p.m. CST. The game 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.
