Nov. 29, 2006
AUBURN - - Joanna Clayden was only 2-of-7 from beyond the arc, but those two threes helped distance Auburn (5-2) from Jacksonville State (3-5) in a 74-44 win for the Tigers Wednesday night at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum. The Clayden conversions came on back-to-back possessions less than five minutes into the second half and increased the Tigers' lead from 10 to 16, opening the floodgates for an Auburn offense that struggled woefully early in the game.
"Joanna knows she's here to shoot the three," Auburn head coach Nell Fortner said. "She has the greenest light of all. Whenever she sees her shot, she needs to take it."
Clayden finished with six points, and KeKe Carrier was Auburn's leading scorer, netting 14 points on a night that saw every Tiger in uniform score. Tamela McCorvey also reached double-figures with 10 points. Whitney Boddie posted a career-high 11 rebounds to go with her seven points.
After the Clayden threes, which made the score 46-30, Auburn outscored the Gamecocks 28-14 en route to its third victory by 30 or more points this season. Auburn was 19-of-37 in the second half, while Jacksonville State managed only 7 field goals on 25 attempts.
Auburn jumped out to an early nine-point advantage to start the game, dropping five of their first eight shots to make the score 13-4. Jacksonville State responded with a 14-4 run of its own, thanks in large part to a rash of mistakes from Auburn, to take an 18-17 lead with 10:26 to play in the half. The Tigers closed the period with an 11-3 run to carry a 28-21 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Auburn turned the ball over 18 times in the first frame, but made up for its miscues by posting a 32-16 advantage on the boards in the period. Auburn lost the turnover battle 23-16 in the game, but grabbed 57 rebounds to Jacksonville State's 34.
Reneisha Hobbs returned to action after missing the first five games with an injury. She scored six points and grabbed two rebounds in just eight minutes.
The Gamecock's leading scorers were Ashley Boykin and Courtney Slaughter, who both had nine points.
Auburn hits the road for two games Friday and Saturday in Reno, Nev. The Tigers take on Nevada at 9 p.m. CT on Friday and UC Riverside at 7 p.m. CT on Saturday. Auburn returns home Dec. 6 for a 5:30 p.m. CT contest vs. Jackson State.