Nov. 4, 2007
Auburn, Ala. - Auburn junior DeWanna Bonner turned in 21 points and tied a career best with 15 rebounds as the Tigers defeated Carson-Newman 94-52 in exhibition play Sunday.
Bonner, who shot 11-of-18, led all Tigers in scoring and rebounding, and was followed by senior Tamela McCorvey with 17 points and junior Sherell Hobbs added 16. Freshman Alli Smalley contributed 12 points as Auburn had four players scoring in double figures.
"I thought we did some nice things during the first half," head coach Nell Fortner said. "I thought we got out there and ran and got an idea by looking at things offensively and defensively."
Carson-Newman's Maria Niarchos led the Lady Eagles in scoring with 10 points while Emily Mason was the team's leader in rebounds with eight.
The Tigers started the game with four quick points and the defense held Carson-Newman to single digits until the 10:06 mark in the first half. The Tigers led 55-23 at the half.
Multiple nine-point runs and a 41.7% three-point percentage in the second half propelled the Tigers to a 44-point margin late in the second half.
"We had too many turnovers and some mental lapses in the second half, but I was really pleased with 94 points. We are trying to put more shots up this year and we did. We want to push the tempo and get more shots up."
From the field, Auburn made 40-of-76 attempts (52.6%) and was 7-of-18 (38.9%) from the arc.
Auburn will open regular season play Nov. 11 at 2 p.m. versus Detroit. The game will be played in Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum with live stats available on www.auburntigers.com.