AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn sophomore Aicha Coulibaly and junior Annie Hughes had career-best scoring days as the Tigers ran away from Charleston Southern 91-42 Friday afternoon at Auburn Arena.
A season-best crowd of 2,338 saw Auburn (3-3) get production from all 13 players on its roster as the Tigers cruised to their third win in four games.
"We just asked our kids to come out and impose their will," Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris said. "We wanted to set the tone. We wanted to get them on their heels and be in attack mode, and we were, both on the offensive and defensive ends."
Coulibaly scored 27 points, shattering her previous career-best of 17; in fact, she had equaled her previous high by halftime. She also had nine rebounds, three steals and two assists, and she was 11-of-14 at the free-throw line.
"We knew they were going to play a zone," Harris said, "and we worked on that. Coach D (Damitria Buchanan) did a great job of putting that in. We got the look, and she finished. We want to take advantage of every opportunity, and we have to be able to cash those in."
Hughes, meanwhile, hit a career-best five 3-pointers to score a career-best 21 points; she also shared the team lead with five steals and added four rebounds and two assists.
"Coming out and hitting the first one just really gave me a lot of confidence," Hughes said. "Nothing really changed, today was just my day. Coach J really pushes me to shoot it. But one thing I try to stay away from is forcing my shot. I know when my feet are set, I know when it's a good rhythm and flow shot."
Honesty Scott-Grayson also filled the stat sheet in all areas, scoring five points but also contributing nine rebounds, a team-high six assists and five steals, along with a block.
All 13 Auburn players scored and had a rebound in the game. The Tigers shot a season-best 44.6 percent as a team (29-65) and hit 7-of-13 3-pointers (53.8%). Auburn also made 26 free throws on 35 attempts, season-highs in both categories.
The Tigers scored 32 points on 30 Charleston Southern turnovers, the most turnovers forced by an Auburn team since the 2017-18 season. Auburn also out-scored CSU in the paint 42-18, out-rebounded the Buccaneers 49-33 and turned 18 offensive boards into 24 second-chance points.
Auburn used a 22-0 run in the first quarter to take a 28-5 lead after the first 10 minutes; Coulibaly scored 10 of the Tigers' first 14 points. The Tigers extended that lead to 32 points at the half at 51-19.
With the starters playing the majority of the third period, Auburn outscored CSU 23-6 to take a 74-25 lead to the fourth, whereupon the Tigers emptied the bench. Xaria Wiggins and Paris Mullins each scored seven points, a season-best for Wiggins, and walk-ons Carsen McFadden and Riley Donahue scored their first points of the season.
Alyssia Faye led Charleston Southern with 13 points and Janaia Fargo added 12.
The Tigers are back in action Tuesday night, Nov. 30, as North Florida visits Auburn Arena. Game time is 7 p.m. CT; tickets are available at AUBTix.com.
Hughes, Coulibaly have career days as Tigers rout Charleston Southern
