Dec. 29, 2009
SAN DIEGO - Down by six points with 3:33 left to play, the Auburn women's basketball team went on a 10-2 run to take the lead, eventually holding on for a 51-50 win over Valparaiso in the first round of the San Diego State Surf `N Slam Tournament. The Tigers (9-3) will play host San Diego State (7-4) in the tournament championship at 9 p.m. CT, Wednesday.
"It was not pretty tonight," said Auburn head coach Nell Fortner. "We were rebounding well and that was probably the reason we won the game. Other than that, it was our first game back from Christmas and sometimes you have to win them ugly, and that is what we did."
With 30 seconds remaining in the game, freshman point guard Morgan Toles drove the lane ad hit a jumper to give Auburn a four-point lead and what proved to be the game-winner.
"I thought that was a big bucket by Morgan Toles," said Fortner. "She had to step up and play and make the shot, and that was a big play for us. KeKe Carrier was also a real player tonight, they were triple teaming her and she was able to find a way to score."
Carrier tallied her third double-double of the season with 20 points and a career-high 19 rebounds. She was 7-of-12 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free throw line while also blocking a season-high six shots. Jordan Greenleaf also scored in double figures with 15 points and nine rebounds.
Valparaiso (3-7) had a chance to send the game into overtime as Laura Richards was fouled by Auburn's Alli Smalley with 0.2 seconds remaining. Richards hit the first, but the second clanged off the back of the rim and a Parrisha Simmons rebound sealed the Auburn victory.
Auburn led by five at the half and took a seven-point lead on the first possession of the second half on a Carrier jump shot. The Tigers led by five with less than 10 minutes remaining, but an 11-2 Crusader run gave Valparaiso its first lead of the game. A layup by Sylwia Zabielewicz with 3:33 gave Valpo its largest lead of the game at six points.
The Tigers scored their next five possessions, including six points from Carrier, to rattle off a 10-2 run to take a 51-47 lead with 30 seconds left.
Whitney Farris cut the lead to two with a jump shot with 12 seconds remaining and Ashley Varner pulled down the rebound following a missed Smalley free throw to give Valpo a final shot. The Auburn defense kept the Crusaders at bay until Smalley was whistled for the foul with less than a second left.
Both teams struggled from the field in the game as Auburn shot 33.3 percent from the field on 19-of-57 shooting. The Tigers were 0-of-9 from 3-point range. Auburn made up for the poor shooting on the boards, out-rebounding Valparaiso, 51-32, in the game. Auburn was 13-of-20 from the free-throw line for 65.0 percent, including a 6-of-7 shooting night from Carrier and a 6-of-8 outing from Smalley.
Farris and Betsy Adams led the Crusaders with 12 points each while Varner added eight points along with a team-best eight rebounds. Valpo was held to 31.6 percent shooting (18-of-57) and was 7-of-30 from 3-point range.
Heading into the championship game, Auburn will take on an Aztec team that opened the season ranked in the top 25 and is on a three-game winning streak.
"There is no question, San Diego State is a good team," said Fortner. "They started the season in top 25, but had some losses. They have really good guard play and they push the ball like we push the ball. They looked pretty good tonight against Wake Forest, coming from behind in the second half for the win."
Fans can follow the action live with GameTracker at AuburnTigers.com in Auburn's championship game on Wednesday. Tiger fans can listen to the game live on WMXA 97.7 FM and AuburnTigers.com with play-by-play from Andy Burcham and color commentary from Arnika Edwards. A free video Webcast is available at GoAztecs.com.