Auburn achieved its 1,000th win in program history thanks to transfers DeYona Gaston and Talliah Scott. Scott tied Auburn’s women’s basketball record for 3-pointers in a game with eight while also adding on nine rebounds. Scott finished the day with 26 total points in what was her Auburn debut since transferring from Arkansas last year.
“I got into a rhythm” Scott said regarding her early success, “ I had most of my teammates finding me, you know, in the open spots. I got most of my shots were catch and shoots, right? So that’s credit to my teammates for getting me the ball in positions where I would be successful.”
It wasn’t just Scott’s flashy play who pushed Auburn to victory it was also Texas transfer Gaston who had a double-double scoring 21 points and having 14 rebounds. She was also a reliable 11-for-14 at the free throw line on the night while the rest of the team was just a combined 4-for-6.
Auburns Celia Sumbane and Taliah Scott defend as they battle for a rebound following a free throw in the second half against the Little Rock Trojans on Nov. 14, 2024.
The Tigers opened the game up with a solid 13-3 lead on the Trojans led by Scott going 3-for-3 to from the 3-point line. Little Rock answered by clawing back into the game and tying it at 17 thanks to a 13 to four scoring run. Auburn freshman Jordan Hunter would quickly answer back with a three from the top of the key to take back a lead which Auburn would keep the rest of the night.
After some back-and-forth scoring from both teams, it was a tight game as the Tigers entered their locker room with just a six-point lead.
“We started out the way I wanted to” Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris said regarding the first half, “I thought we started out really aggressive and getting some things that we wanted, and then I we kind of got a little lax and didn’t play quite as hard or as well in the second quarter.”
Auburn would flip a switch coming out of the locker room from half time. To begin the half, they would go on a 16 to zero rampage ballooning their lead to 21. Scott would go on to add three more 3-pointers on the second quarter.
The Tigers didn’t just begin scoring more they also cut down on mistakes going from 10 turnovers to just four in the second half. On top of this they were able to take advantage of 11 turnovers by Little Rock to Propel them to outscore the Trojans 51-23 in the half.
“You don’t want to know,” Coach Harris said with a chuckle when asked about what her halftime speech to the team was like. “…I did challenge them to just be better and play our style of ball.”
With the Tigers second half explosion and 1,000th program win, Auburn's opening home stretch comes to a close with six straight road games ahead. The Tigers look to remain unbeaten as they take on the No. 25 Oregon in Eugene, OR on Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 8 p.m. CST.
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Reid is a freshman, exploratory major. He joined the Plainsman in the fall of 2024.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @ReidFarris2
