MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The Auburn women's basketball team overcame foul trouble and a hot-shooting Coastal Carolina team to earn an 84-78 win Tuesday night in the Carolinas Challenge at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.
The Tigers (9-1) extended their winning streak to six games, but it was not without anxious moments as Auburn lost two post players to fouls in the fourth quarter and had to overcome the Chanticleers (7-2), who hovered near 50-percent shooting most of the night and had two players score 25-plus.
"Their style of play and how quickly they play is tough to defend," Auburn head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. "We actually held them under their average. And we stayed in foul trouble. But the ones stepped in that needed to step in and help. Kudos to Janiah McKay, she played a lot of minutes, but she kept getting after it. We got 30 points off their turnovers, and we continued to fight on the boards. They just kept fighting. It was a tough game, but they continued to fight. (Coastal) is 7-1, they're a very good basketball team. They played hard."
Janiah McKay led Auburn for the third straight game with 21 points, scoring 15 in the first half and salting the game away in the fourth quarter at the free-throw line. Emari Jones had 16 points, knocking down four 3-pointers, and Crystal Primm had a 14-point night, all coming in the second half. Unique Thompson finished with 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds despite playing just 21 minutes while dealing with foul trouble.
Auburn shot 41.8 percent for the game (28-67) but took advantage of several opportunities at the free-throw line, hitting 21-of-27 for the game, including 10-of-13 in the fourth quarter. The Tigers also forced Coastal into 23 turnovers, converting those into 30 points.
The Tigers trailed at the half for the first time this season as CCU took a 39-38 lead to the break. The lead changed hands 10 times in a first half that saw Auburn attempt 17 3-pointers while Coastal drove to the basket, drew fouls, and made a living at the free-throw line (13-of-16). McKay and Jones combined for 26 of Auburn's 38 points in the half while Thompson, Primm, Jackson and Benton dealt with foul trouble.
The lead changed hands seven more times in the second half with Coastal extending its lead to as many as seven points at 46-39 with 7:51 to play in the third quarter. But the Tigers kept chipping away, and a steal and fast-break layup by Emari Jones just before the buzzer gave Auburn a 62-61 lead after three periods.
Coastal hit a 3-pointer to move back ahead with 8:00 to play, but a layup from Primm and a pair of free throws from Robyn Benton gave the Tigers a 66-64 lead; Auburn would never trail again. With both teams in the bonus and multiple players dealing with foul trouble – Auburn had two players foul out, and Coastal had five players with four fouls when the game ended – free throws were at a premium. Auburn made 10-of-13 attempts in the final period while Coastal was just 4-of-8.
Caitlin Roche led the Chanticleers with 26 points, and DJ Williams added 25. Naheria Hamilton posted a double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds.
The Tigers will conclude play at the Carolinas Challenge on Thursday night when they face North Carolina at 5:30 p.m. CT. The game will air live on WTGZ 93.9 FM and on Stadium Network.
