Dec. 4, 2014
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AUBURN, Ala. -- Auburn overcame a slow start to shoot 63.3 percent in the second half and run away from Southeastern Louisiana for a 72-44 win in women's basketball action Thursday night at Auburn Arena.
After missing 10 of 11 shots to open the game and falling behind by eight points, the Tigers (5-2) hit 29 of their final 46 attempts and saw a five-point halftime lead swell to as much as 29 late in the second half. It was the ninth straight home victory for Auburn, dating back to last season.
"I would definitely like for our team to start off a little bit faster," Auburn head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. "We just need to go back in and regroup and get ourselves back together. Once again, we played a great second half. I thought our bench did an excellent job of coming in and helping us out."
Junior Tra'Cee Tanner overcame a 1-for-7 start to finish with a game-high 15 points on 7-of-14 shooting. She was also Auburn's leading rebounder with six boards on the night. Sophomore Brandy Montgomery added 14 points on a 6-of-8 night from the floor that included a pair of 3-pointers.
"I started off a little too jittery," Tanner said. "I was rushing my shots and not taking my time. Even on defense, I was letting my offense affect my defense. We always say that our defense sparks our offense. In the second half my coaches were telling me to focus on my defense, and my offense will come."
Freshmen Jessica Jones and Neydja Petithomme put together one of the best games of their young careers, each scoring a career-high 11 points off the bench. Jones did not miss from the field (5-for-5) and Petithomme had a season-high six assists. The Auburn bench outscored the Lady Lions' reserves 30-9.
The Tigers shared the ball exceptionally well, recording 26 assists. Petithomme's six led the way while Kiani Parker and Katie Frerking had five apiece.
Auburn led by five at the half after struggling for much of the opening period. But much like in their win over Marquette, the Tigers found a spark out of the break and went on a 24-5 run over the first nine minutes of the second half, shooting as high as 80 percent during that stretch.
For the game, the Tigers shot 53.6 percent - their second-best mark of the season - while holding the Lady Lions to 26.7-percent shooting, the fourth time Auburn has held an opponent under 30 percent this season.
Symone Miller led Southeastern Louisiana with 13 points while Peaches Anderson had 10. Nanna Pool had a game-high eight rebounds.
After a nine-day break for final exams, the Tigers will return to action Sunday, Dec. 14, as they host Samford at Auburn Arena. Tip is set for 2 p.m.