AUBURN, Ala. - The Auburn Tigers Women’s Basketball team improved to 2-0 on the season with a 128-36 victory over the Virginia-Lynchburg Dragons Friday night behind an impressive performance from DeYona Gaston.
Gaston led the Tigers in scoring for the second consecutive game, with her 36 points Friday night becoming a new Neville Arena record. Gaston also pulled down 11 rebounds and shot 15/20 and was 6/8 from the free-throw line. With her performance tonight, Gaston was able to surpass 1000 career points, an accomplishment she was recognized for during the game.
“I think her biggest impact is getting in the gym,” Coach Johnnie Harris said regarding Gaston. “She’s a great teammate, she’s very encouraging in practice, and she let [her teammates] know ‘I came here to win’. I mean that kid comes in and she comes to work every day, and she makes sure to hold her teammates accountable to that.”
Auburn controlled the turnover battle in this one, forcing 41 turnovers and nabbing 25 steals, including at least one steal from each Tiger that played tonight. The Tigers were able to capitalize off of the Dragons' mistakes, amassing 65 points off of turnovers to go along with 35 fastbreak points. Audia Young led the team with five steals, while Celia Sumbane, Kaitlyn Duhon and Syriah Daniels had four apiece.
“Was it just 25 [steals],” Coach Harris asked. “We had a goal of 35, so maybe that can be something I run them for. But yeah, we had a goal of doing that, and that’s what we do, we’re in the passing lane.”
The Tigers also dominated the rebounding category, as the Tigers hauled in 43 boards while the Dragons only pulled down 18. Gaston led the team with 11 boards and Celia Sumbane also grabbed 8. The hustle stats favored the Tigers heavily, and they will hope to continue this type of production throughout the season.
Auburn is happy with the win, but they anxiously await the debut of Arkansas transfer Taliah Scott. Scott averaged 22 points per game for the Razorbacks last season, and the Tigers will no doubt become more of a threat with her in the lineup. In her absence, freshman guard Jordan Hunter has stepped up for the Tigers and played meaningful minutes.
The Tigers’ next game is against Little Rock, then they will make a trip to the West Coast to take on Oregon and California. The Tigers hope to be 3-0 before making the long flight to Eugene.
Tipoff for the Tigers and Trojans will be at 7 p.m. on Thursday in Neville Arena. It will be streamed live on SECN+ and on the ESPN app. You can also listen live on the Auburn Sports Network.
