Auburn women’s basketball picked up its fourth straight win on Saturday, defeating Alabama State 83-40.
Deyona Gaston led the Tigers with 35 points, just one short of her career-high. She finished the afternoon 14-of-17 from the field and 7-of-10 from the free-throw line.
Celia Sumbane added 16 points, six rebounds, six assists, four steals and a block.
“I was really pleased with how Celia and DeYona stepped up,” said Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris. “Celia is so unselfish. This kid is getting better and better. We’re seeing her grow up before our eyes. She plays 100 percent and she’s giving everything she has.”
Guard Jordan Hunter and Sumbane hit a pair of 3-pointers late in the first quarter to give Auburn a 26-8 lead. Sumbane and Gaston went 4-for-4 in the quarter and scored 10 points each.
Gaston led the way in the second quarter, adding 10 more points to her tota as the Tigers outscored the Hornets 28-1l, leading 54-19 at halftime.
Yakiya Milto tallied six points, six rebounds and three blocked shots in her first game of the season, stepping in for fellow forward Taylen Collins, who was ill.
“It was really good to have Yakiya back,” Harris said. “She’s long and athletic. Yakiya was a monster on the boards, she blocked a lot of shots. A lot of what she did didn’t show up in the stat sheet, but she was very active and helped us a lot today.”
Auburn moves to 9-2 on the season and will have an eight-day brak before its non-conference finale against Norfolk State on Sunday, Dec. 29 at 2 p.m. CT at Neville Arena.
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Grace Heim is a senior from Enterprise, Alabama, majoring in Political Science. She started with The Plainsman in January of 2023.
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