Jan. 31, 2010
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AUBURN - The Auburn women's basketball team (12-10, 3-6 SEC) knocked off ninth-ranked Georgia (18-4, 5-4 SEC), 67-53, Sunday at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum. Junior Alli Smalley led Auburn with 22 points, recording her second consecutive 20-point game.
Also scoring in double digits were senior KeKe Carrier with 15 and redshirt junior Jordan Greenleaf with 10. Freshman Morgan Toles led the team in assists with 10, setting a career high.
"It is a big win for us," said Auburn head coach Nell Fortner. "It helps get us back on track but there are many games to play. We will use this one to get us back in the ball game here and when we play South Carolina on Thursday."
The Tigers pulled down 17 offensive rebounds in the game, including 10 in the second half. Auburn turned the rebounds into 13 second-chance points.
"That's a nice stat right there," said Fortner. "That definitely helped us to stay in the game early. It helped us confidence-wise. Offensive rebounding is a confidence builder and it is an energy destroyer for the other team. When you are able to get on those offensive boards, it can really help you."
Carrier, playing on KeKe Carrier bobblehead day, led the Tigers in rebounds, pulling down nine. Greenleaf followed with seven boards, followed by Chantel Hilliard with six.
"Every game I try and go in there and dominate," said Carrier. "I was probably a little more motivated coming off two losses and got motivated by my team."
The win was the first over a top-10 team since the sixth-ranked Tigers knocked off No. 10 Tennessee, 82-68, on Jan. 25, 2009. The victory also marks the second consecutive time the Tigers have defeated a Georgia team ranked in the top 10.
Georgia has suffered three consecutive defeats as starters Ashley Houts and Angel Robinson have dealt with persistent ankle injuries. The pair combined for just nine points in Sunday's loss.
The lead was tossed back-and-forth in an opening six minutes of play that saw five lead changes and five ties. At the 14:35 mark, a pair of Smalley free throws gave the Tigers a two-point advantage. Georgia's Anne Marie Armstrong responded with a jumper to again level the score.
Freshman Nicolle Thomas came off the bench to hit a 3-pointer, giving Auburn a lead it would not give up. The Tigers opened the lead to as many as 11 with just over six minutes left in the half. However, the Bulldogs responded with a pair of three's and a layup from Armstrong, cutting the lead to five. The Tigers went on to take a, 37-32, lead into the locker room.
Georgia came out swinging in the second half, cutting the Auburn lead, to 43-41, at the 15:44 mark. The Tigers were able to rebuild their lead to nine with 7:38 remaining, compliments of a Blanche Alverson 3-pointer.
Houts, who had been pulled from the game at the 15:50 mark in the opening period, was subbed in with 5:28 remaining in the contest in search of an offensive spark. Carrier added five points in the closing minutes as the Tigers went on an 8-2 run, sealing the win for the home side. Smalley's 3-pointer with just 46 seconds remaining ignited the crowd and put the came out of reach.
The Tigers were 42 percent from the field, 4-of-17 from outside the arc and 13-of-15 from the charity stripe. Auburn won the rebounding battle 39-27 while also converting 17 Bulldog turnovers into 22 points. The Tigers' 20 assists marks the second-highest team assist total on the season.
Jasmine James led the Bulldogs in scoring with 13 while Anne Marie Armstrong pulled down a team-high five boards. Georgia was 43 percent from the field, 5-of-24 from 3-point range and 6-of-12 from the line.
"We have to get into gear," said Georgia head coach Andy Landers. "We have to make plays like we were earlier in the year. We have to get healthy. We missed a lot of shots and free throws."
Auburn will return to action at 6 p.m., Thursday as the Tigers host South Carolina (11-10, 4-5 SEC) at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum. The Gamecocks lost to No. 5 Tennessee, 60-55, Sunday in Columbia, S.C. USC defeated Auburn, 63-49, on Jan. 17 when the teams played in South Carolina.