Dec. 15, 2010
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Sophomore Blanche Alverson scored a game-high 16 points as the Auburn women's basketball team (4-5) was able to hold off a late George Washington (5-5) surge to pull out the 52-45 win at the Charles E. Smith Center in Washington, D.C.
Alverson and senior Alli Smalley combined for 30 of Auburn's 52 points, knocking down a combined six 3-pointers in the process. Senior Jordan Greenleaf anchored down the defensive end, pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds while blocking four shots.
"It was a hard-fought victory, but it was nice to get the `W,'" said Auburn head coach Nell Fortner. "It wasn't always pretty, we had a cold shooting night, but it is nice to pull it out. It was good to have to fight to pull it out, that will help our confidence and show us what we are capable of doing."
Both teams struggled from the field with the Tigers hitting just 29.7 percent (19-of-64) of their shots. George Washington did not fare better, hitting just 33.3 percent (18-of-54).
The loss was the first for the Colonials at home as GW held a 5-0 record in the Smith Center coming into the game. Auburn led by 16 at one point in the second half, George Washington's largest home deficit this season.
Auburn out-rebounded the Colonials 49-36, including 27 Tiger offensive rebounds that were turned in to 17 second-chance points. Auburn flexed its defensive power, using nine steals to force 15 GW turnovers and then scoring 15 points off the turnovers. The Tigers also blocked a season-high seven shots.
"I thought our effort on the offensive boards was outstanding, that was one heck of a good effort," said Fortner. "Jordan Greenleaf was all over the boards, Parrisha Simmons, it was just one player after another - they battled strong on the boards. To me, that was the difference in the game because it gave us more opportunities to shoot the ball."
Entering the final six minutes of the first half with a one-point (13-12) lead, Auburn was able to close out the period on a 12-3 run to take a 25-15 lead into the locker room. Four different players scored in the run while Auburn's defense held GW to the lowest first-half point total of a Tiger opponent this season.
Auburn kept rolling in the second half, taking a 16-point lead following a Chantel Hilliard layup with 6:59 left in the game. But, that would be Auburn's last field goal for more than five minutes as GW went on a 10-1 run to cut the lead to seven with less than two minutes left in the game.
Seven points would be as close as GW would come as the Tigers held off the Colonial run for the 52-45 win.
Morgan Toles tied her season high with seven assists while Morgan Jennings came off the bench to tie her career high with six assists. Jennings also led the Tigers with three steals, followed by Alverson and Toles with two each.
Tiana Myers led George Washington with 12 points, all coming in the second half. Tara Booker added eight along with a team-high eight rebounds.
Auburn will return to action Saturday with a 12:30 p.m. CT game against Purdue in Indianapolis in the Boilermaker Blockbuster. The game, which is the first of a doubleheader with the Purdue men's team, will be played at Conseco Fieldhouse - site of the 2011 NCAA Women's Final Four.
Tiger fans can listen to the game live on WMXA 96.7 FM with play-by-play from Andy Burcham and color commentary from Arnika Edwards. GameTracker and an audio Webcast will also be available at AuburnTigers.com.