Nov. 29, 2017
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AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Auburn forced a season-high 35 turnovers, turning those into 31 points in a 67-41 victory over Louisiana-Monroe at Auburn Arena Wednesday night.
The Tigers (4-3) got 21 points from junior Janiah McKay and 16 from sophomore Daisa Alexander and overcame an early barrage from the Warhawks (2-3) to post their largest margin of victory this season.
"We knew that this was a game where we wanted our defense to score right away," Auburn head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. "Once we picked up our defense, we were able to turn them over and turn those turnovers into points. We started off slow, but once we started going, we did a very good job."
Auburn's 35 forced turnovers tied for the second-most under Williams-Flournoy and the eighth-most in program history. The Tigers also matched a season-high with 21 steals on the night.
McKay's 21 points led all scorers as she was 7-of-12 from the field and a perfect 6-of-6 at the free-throw line. Alexander had her fifth game in double-figures this season with 16 points. Junior Erica Sanders added a season-high eight, one shy of a career-high, along with five rebounds.
Freshman Abigayle Jackson led Auburn with seven rebounds in her first extended playing time of the season. She also scored four points and had three blocks. Senior Jessica Jones blocked four shots, tying a career-high, and Jazmine Jones matched a career-high with five steals.
Auburn shot 40.3 percent from the field on the night despite a slow start in the first quarter. ULM finished at 36.8 percent ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" the Warhawks hit their first six shots of the night but made just eight more the rest of the way.
The Tigers had their best night of the season at the free-throw line, hitting 14-of-17 attempts (82.4%). Jazmine Jones, Tiffany Lewis, McKay and Alexander were all perfect from the charity stripe.
ULM jumped out to a 15-4 lead in the first quarter, hitting the first six shots they took. But Auburn closed the opening period with a flurry, forcing turnovers on four straight possessions to trail by just one after 10 minutes.
From there, the Tigers continued their run, outscoring ULM 21-4 in the second quarter to take a 35-19 halftime lead. ULM would get no closer the rest of the way. The Tigers had forced 30 turnovers by the end of the third quarter.
Alexus Johnson led ULM with eight points, and Diamond Brooks had seven rebounds.
Auburn hits the road this weekend, traveling to Bloomington, Ind., to face Indiana at 1 p.m. CT Sunday. The game can be seen via Big Ten Network Plus for a fee. Brit Bowen will have the radio call on WQSI 95.9 FM and online at AuburnTigers.com beginning at 12:45 p.m. CT.