Christmas gifts came early for the Tigers inside Neville Arena Sunday afternoon. Auburn was “giftwrapped” 50 of their season high 91 points on 34 Samford turnovers.
It took 1:01 of game time for the Auburn Tigers (9-2) to claim a 2-0 lead over the Samford Bulldogs (4-9), and that was the slimmest lead the Tigers held all game. The Tigers were clicking on all cylinders defensively, as they held Samford to single digit points three of the four quarters (6, 5, 9, 17) and held the Bulldogs to 27.3% shooting from the field.
The saying, “the best offense in basketball is good defense” proved true yet again as Coach J’s squad was able to capitalize on numerous Samford miscues. The Tigers had 24 fast break points as well as 50 points off turnovers and 34 points in the paint. The defense for the Tigers was dominant from tip to buzzer. Forcing 5 turnovers before allowing a point, the Tigers emphasized getting after the ball.
“We’re trying to get our kids to be more aggressive, and to get in the passing lanes,” Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris stated. “I just wanted to force the action, and when we do that, it helps us get into our game mode, impose our will, and do the things we do best”, Harris later added.
Four Tigers landed with double figures in the points column as time expired, with Redshirt-Senior Honesty Scott-Grayson leading the way with 14 points. Romi Levi finished with 13 points on an efficient 5-6 shooting in a brilliant all around 7 rebound 5 assist game, Precious Johnson finished with 11 points and 5 boards, and Sania Wells finished with 10 points knocking down two from deep.
The Tigers were not only excellent in live ball situations, as they shot 32-63 (10-20 from 3) in the game, but excelled at the free throw line as well, going 17-20. Mya Pratcher finished with 8 points, all coming at the line (0-0 shooting… officially).
With this win, the Tigers continue to build confidence before hitting SEC play at the end of December. Auburn plays their final of four straight home games vs the University of North Florida (3-5) on Tuesday night inside Neville Arena at 1:00 p.m.
