Auburn native Syriah Daniels had her first start of the season against UAB on Sunday, scoring 14 points to help seal a 69-62 win.
Alongside Daniels’ impressive performance was teammate Taylen Collins scoring 15 points, and teammate Celia Sumbane scoring 14.
“I thought we had to have some people that wasn’t used to stepping up had to be able to step up and help us out,” Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris said. “Syriah got the nod to start today, but she earned that in practice. She’s been working really hard and I felt like she was ready.”
Daniels was surprised when she found out that this game would be the game where she made her debut, but she was ‘ready for the moment.‘
Leading scorer and rebounder for the Tigers, DeYona Gaston, did not play this game after earning a career-high of 23 points Thursday against the Cavaliers.
As Gaston is a vital asset offensively and defensively, players on and off the bench had to step up to make the win possible.
UAB played Auburn close but had many turnovers that Auburn took advantage of on the offensive end.
Daniels played 30 minutes in Sunday’s matchup, notably capitalizing off of opponent turnovers and grabbing offensive boards.
Daniels scored eight points in the first quarter, making a statement early on in the game. Her ample amount of shot attempts proved her play-making mindset true.
Daniels shot 6-for-14 on the night, contributing to Auburn’s 44 percent field goal percentage.
She went 4-for-7 in field goals in the first quarter, leading the Tigers with eight points early on.
Daniels put up two points for the Tigers in each of the remaining quarters, but her rebounding accompanied her milestone performance.
Coach Harris knew that she would be shorthanded, as two of her 20-point scorers were on the bench, but gave Daniels and her teammates some words of wisdom before facing the Blazers.
“I told them they had to be in attack mode,” Harris said.
Daniels had important people in attendance which made her first start of the season even more sentimental. In other words, her first start of the season warrants mixed emotions not just from her outstanding performance, but family ties.
“I’m on a high,” Daniels said. “It’s really a lot different. Just to see my dad smile. Just to see him happy. So when he smiles, I’m happy.”
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Morgan is a junior majoring in journalism. She joined the Plainsman in the fall of 2024.
