LAFAYETTE, LA — Auburn (8-3) defeated Louisiana Lafayette (4-5) 68-51 on Wednesday. Auburn controlled the game from start to finish, and the Tigers picked up their second true road win of the season.
“You come on the road, it’s a tough environment, but you get a win that you need to get, that you’re supposed to get,” Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris said. “We started the way we should start, we started the second half the way we should start, and we finished the way we should finish.”
Leading the way for the Tigers against the Rajun Cajuns was transfer forward DeYona Gaston. Gaston leads the team in scoring averaging just under 20 points per game, but she exceeded her average Wednesday. She had 29 points on 12-20 shooting from the field. She also added ten rebounds, two steals, and one block.
Besides Gaston, Auburn’s scoring was spread out throughout the team. Taylen Collins, Syriah Daniels, and Oyindamola Akinbolawa each had nine or more points.
“I think (Oyin) and DeYona are becoming a really good combo inside,” Harris said. “Oyin’s been working, we’ve been on her, but she’s another kid that has great work ethic and will continue to get better and better.”
The Tigers also shared the ball extremely well. The team has 16 total assists led by Mar’shaun Bostic who had five. Daniels and Collins each had four.
While Auburn’s offensive was impressive, the defense was more so. Auburn’s defense held the Rajun Cajuns to only 51 points. Louisiana struggled to find many good looks shooting a mere 36% from the field and 22% from beyond the arc.
Auburn’s defense also forced 19 Louisiana turnovers leading to 14 points. Gaston and Celia Sunbbame had two steals apiece while Bostic, Daniels, and Akinbolawa each had a block. Inside or outside, Auburn’s defense created issues for Louisiana.
The Tigers headed to Louisiana hoping to secure another non-conference road win and succeeded in that goal. The non-conference schedule has taken the Tigers over 11,000 miles in total. The Tigers will not play on the road again until SEC play when they travel to LSU on January 5th.
Next up, Auburn will return home to face Alabama State on Saturday. The matchup will be the first of two non-conference games left for the Tigers. Tip-off is set for noon CT on the Auburn Sports Network and the SECN+.
