ELON, N.C. – For the second time this month, Auburn set a school record for 3-pointers, cruising to its eighth straight win with a 96-44 victory at Elon Saturday afternoon.
The Tigers (11-1) hit 14 3-pointers, breaking a 20-day-old Auburn record of 13 that was set Dec. 2 vs. Oklahoma. But it wasn't just the longball for Auburn Saturday – Auburn shot a season-best 63.3 percent from the field, including 70 percent in the second half, to pull away early and sprint to a 52-point victory.
"It was a great win, a great road trip," Auburn head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. "They came out and understood how these games can be trap games, how you're ready for break. Now they can go enjoy themselves and have a very Merry Christmas.
"The offense was clicking today. We had a few mistakes, a few balls we tried to force inside, but the offense was very good today. And we did a very good job defensively. Elon is a very good team if you allow them to be comfortable in their offense, and we knew we had to be disruptive. And the fourth quarter was a great opportunity to play the young players."
Five players finished in double-figures for the Tigers, led by junior Crystal Primm with 17 points, who shared the team lead with seven rebounds. Freshman Robyn Benton hit five 3-pointers to finish with 15 points, while Unique Thompson and Brooke Moore added 14 and Janiah McKay had 13. Freshman Erin Howard also had a career-high seven rebounds to share the team lead.
Eleven of the Tigers' record-setting 14 treys were made by freshmen – five for Benton, four by Moore and two from Howard. The record-breaker was hit by Howard with 20 seconds to play.
The Tigers completely dominated the first half, taking a 51-19 halftime lead, their largest of the season. Auburn shot 58 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes, including a 63-percent clip in the first quarter. A 16-6 run over the first 4:42 gave the Tigers an early double-digit lead, and Elon would get no closer the rest of the way. Auburn's defense carried the day in the early-going as the Tigers forced seven first-quarter turnovers, turning those into 15 points.
A comparatively slow third quarter saw the Tigers only increase their lead by two as Elon shot 70 percent in the period, giving Auburn a 69-35 lead. But Auburn hit 11-of-15 shots in the fourth – 5-of-7 on 3-pointers – and outscored the Phoenix 27-9 to finish off the 52-point win, Auburn's largest margin of victory of the Coach Flo era.
The Tigers out-rebounded Elon 37-21 and scored 27 points off 20 Phoenix turnovers. Auburn also got a season-high 41 points off its bench, which played the majority of the fourth quarter. In addition to the 14 3-pointers, Auburn scored 40 points in the paint.
Emily Maupin led Elon with 14 points, and Lexi Mercer added 11.
Auburn will wrap up non-conference play next Saturday, Dec. 29, against Alabama State. Game time is noon CT at Auburn Arena; the game is part of a doubleheader with the Auburn men's team.
Auburn sets 3-point record - again - in 52-point win at Elon
