Nov. 9, 2013
| ||||||||||||||||
|
AUBURN, Ala. -- The Auburn women's basketball team opened the 2013-14 season with a 69-59 win over Georgia Southern Saturday night at Auburn Arena. Senior Tyrese Tanner led the Tigers in scoring, while senior Peyton Davis notched her third career double-double.
"We are always happy to win," said Auburn head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy. "It is always good to get that first game under your belt and get some of those first game jitters out, especially with so many freshman and newcomers. We are excited about that. We have a lot to work though, but we'll figure it out."
Auburn's senior combo of Tyrese Tanner and Davis combined for 31 points and 18 rebounds for the Tigers. Tanner had a game-high 17 points along with a team-high five assists while Davis scored 15 points with 11 rebounds.
"They did extremely well," Williams-Flournoy said of the two seniors. "You could really tell how the tempo of the game changed when Peyton and Tyrese were both out of the game."
Also scoring in double figures with sophomore Tra'Cee Tanner with 15 points along with eight rebounds. Cabriana Capers added eight boards while junior college transfer Kiani Parker led Auburn with three steals.
Auburn was on the board first with a layup from Tyrese Tanner. Georgia Southern tied the game up on the next possession, the only tie of the game, as freshman Katie Frerking hit a 3-pointer the next trip down to give the Tigers the lead for good. Frerking, who is just the fifth Auburn freshman to start in a season-opener in the last 10 years, finished the game with eight points.
The Tigers built an early lead, going up as many as 14 points after a Parker layup gave Auburn a 27-13 lead with 7:23 left in the first half. Three times in the second half the Eagles cut the lead to five, but that was as close as they would get as the Tigers pulled away for the double-digit lead and win.
Auburn used its defense to keep Georgia Southern at bay, forcing 16 turnovers that turned into 15 Tiger points. AU also held strong on the boards, pulling down 22 offensive rebounds that turned into 25 second-chance points.
The Tigers return to the court on Wednesday, Nov. 13 as they take on in-state rival Jacksonville State. The Gamecocks dropped an 83-62 decision to Ole Miss in their season-opener. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. C.T. at the Auburn Arena.