Dec. 13, 2006
AUBURN, Ala. - Auburn (9-2) used its size to its advantage Wednesday night, outscoring Ohio 44-4 in the paint en route to a 73-54 win over the Bobcats (5-3) at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum. KeKe Carrier was a force for the Tigers, netting 22 points and grabbing 10 rebounds for her third double-double of the season.
"KeKe Carrier dominated inside tonight," Auburn head coach Nell Fortner said. "We got scoring from a lot of different facets, and we had a lot of different things work for us. We are starting to see a little bit of our depth."
In support of Carrier were DeWanna Bonner and Joanna Clayden. Bonner posted 16 points and a career-high 15 boards for her third double-double of the season, while Clayden tallied 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc.
The difference in the game was 11 unanswered points from Auburn early in the second half. With the score 40-36 at the 16:48 mark, Bonner took a feed from Carrier and converted the layup to make Auburn's advantage six. Two possessions later, Carrier grabbed her own rebound for a put-back score and an eight point lead. Bonner found an open Sherell Hobbs in the lane on Auburn's next possession for another basket.
After two defensive stops, Carrier took a Whitney Boddie pass and turned it into three points when she was fouled in the act of shooting. Boddie notched another assist two possessions later when she hit an open Bonner for two more points and a 51-36 Auburn advantage.
The Tigers lead grew to as much as 21 after the run, but never fell below eight points again.
The game opened with the Tigers and Bobcats trading baskets into a 10-10 tie. After a Bonner turnaround jumpshot and a defensive stop, Jordan Greenleaf converted a 3-point play at the 12:05 mark to put Auburn on top, 13-10. Over the remainder of the half, Auburn outscored Ohio 21-14 on the strength of an 18-4 advantage in the paint. Auburn increased its lead to as much as 12 over the remainder of the period and led 34-24 at the half.
Carrier's and Bonner's double-doubles were the seventh of their careers. Greenleaf's eight rebounds marked a career high.
Lauren Kohn led Ohio in scoring, netting 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc. The Bobcats shot 27 three-pointers in the game, more than any other Auburn opponent has attempted this season.
The Tigers travel to the nation's capitol for a 1 p.m. CT contest with George Washington on Dec. 16th. Auburn then takes on Maryland Eastern Shore on Dec. 19th before returning to Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum on Dec. 21st for a 1 p.m. CT tilt with Oakland.