AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn hit 13 3-pointers to set a new school record Sunday afternoon as the Tigers defeated Oklahoma 95-79 at Auburn Arena in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Led by a double-double from sophomore Unique Thompson, five players scored in double-figures for the Tigers (6-1), who snapped an eight-game losing streak against Big 12 opponents and earned their 11th straight home non-conference win.
"Oklahoma is a very good team," Auburn head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. "I had to tell our players not to look at those four losses because they've played very good teams. I thought our team came out well-prepared. We started a little shaky in the first quarter, but we got ourselves together and got back into the game."
The Tigers made 13 3-pointers on the night, breaking the previous record of 12 that was set Dec. 5, 2007 - nearly 11 years ago to the day – against Colgate. Daisa Alexander's third triple of the night with 3:48 to play gave the Tigers an 83-65 lead and set the new program mark.
"Our 3-point shooters – Janiah (McKay), Daisa, Robyn (Benton), Emari (Jones) and Brooke (Moore) – all of them always stay after practice every day," Williams-Flournoy said. "They have a little routine that they have to do and get the number of shots up in six minutes. If you're working at it, it's going to pay off and it definitely paid off today."
Thompson finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the year. She now has 12 double-doubles for her career, tied for 12th in Auburn history. Alexander led the Auburn attack with 19 points and also had a game-high five assists along with five rebounds.
Emari Jones hit four of Auburn's 13 treys and finished with 16 points, and Crystal Primm and Robyn Benton added 14 points apiece; Primm had a team-leading three steals, and Benton also knocked down four 3-pointers.
Auburn got off to a slow start as the Sooners opened up with a flurry of 3-pointers, taking a 24-17 lead after one quarter. But the Tigers started the second period on an 11-0 run to take a lead they would never relinquish. Auburn shot 52.6 percent in the second quarter and held the Sooners to just 2-of-11 from the field, outscoring Oklahoma 27-6 in the period to take a 44-30 halftime lead. The quarter was punctuated by an Erin Howard steal and score just before the buzzer as the Sooners were trying to hold for the final shot.
The Tigers' lead ballooned to as much as 22 points early in the third quarter at 52-30, but the Sooners mounted a charge with a 19-2 run over the next five minutes to cut the deficit to as few as five points. Auburn, however, did not panic, pushing the lead back to 10 by the end of the third quarter.
Auburn let loose in the fourth, shooting 64.7 percent in the final 10 minutes to put the game away. The Tigers hit three straight 3-pointers in a stretch of less than three minutes, pushing the lead to 18 on Alexander's record-setting shot with 3:48 to play.
Oklahoma showed longball prowess of their own, knocking down 10 triples on the night. Freshman Taylor Robertson led all sccorers with 27 points, hitting 7-of-15 attempts from long range. The Sooners shot 45.9 percent for the game, including a 43.5-percent clip from 3-point range.
Auburn hits the road again this week, traveling to Philadelphia to take on St. Joseph's on Thursday night. Game time is 6 p.m. CT at Michael J. Hagan Arena on the SJU campus.
Auburn sets 3-point record in 95-79 win over Oklahoma
