Dec. 28, 2006
CORAL GABLES, Fla. - DeWanna Bonner scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Auburn (12-3) to an overtime victory over James Madison, 79-76, Thursday afternoon in the opening round of the Miami Holiday Tournament in Coral Gables, Fla. Tamela McCorvey and Sherell Hobbs each added 14 points in the win, while KeKe Carrier scored 11 points and added six blocks. The back-and-forth game featured 12 ties and 10 lead changes.
"This was an emotional test for us tonight," Auburn head coach Nell Fortner said. "The overtime was a test of our will, and that is what we will take from this. The players wanted to win, and they fought for it."
Six of Bonner's 21 came in an overtime period that saw Auburn go to the free throw line eight times and convert seven. The winning points came from the stripe with 1:14 remaining in the period when Jordan Greenleaf was fouled by James Madison's Jennifer Brown. Greenleaf converted both attempts to put Auburn up five at 77-72. The Dukes had a chance to tie the game with a three as time expired, but Meredith Alexis misfired and Greenleaf grabbed the board to secure the victory.
Bonner took a McCorvey pass and scored what should have been the winning basket with 12 seconds remaining in regulation. But after a James Madison timeout, Andrea Benvenuto found Lesley Dickinson under the Dukes' basket for the tying score.
James Madison was able to climb back into the game because of 16 second-half turnovers from the Tigers. Seven of those miscues came in the first seven minutes of the period, while the Dukes made seven of their first 11 shots to take an 47-45 lead with 12:46 left in the game. For the remainder of regulation, neither team climbed ahead by more than five, and the game was tied seven times.
The Tigers, who led by as many as 14 in the first half, produced an 18-7 run midway through the opening frame to make the score 33-19. The lead was only seven at halftime after Auburn missed six of its last eight shots in the period.
Bonner made 13 free throws in the game, which tied an Auburn record held by Carolyn Jones from a game vs. Vanderbilt in the 1989-90 season.
Tamera Young led all scorers, netting 24 points and adding 13 rebounds for James Madison.
The win improved Auburn to 13-14 all-time in overtime games and earned the Tigers a shot at Miami in the championship game of the tournament on Friday at 6 p.m. CT.
Auburn returns home to open SEC play on January 4 versus Ole Miss at 7 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast by Fox Sports Net.