AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn women's basketball team withstood a second-half offensive barrage from North Florida, playing strong defense down the stretch to earn a 72-65 win Tuesday night at Auburn Arena.
Led by another big night from sophomore Aicha Coulibaly, the Tigers (4-3) overcame a late deficit with a 12-2 run over the last five minutes to pick up their second straight win at home.
"We just played harder (down the stretch)," Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris said. "We made them catch the ball where their 3s toward the end were off-balance instead of in rhythm, in transition. We picked up better in transition. Then once we got stops, we were able to get the ball to our point guard. Down the stretch, I put it in Honesty and AC's hands, and they finished it out.
"When (our players) buy in and do what we ask them to do, we'll put them in a good position. But in order to get in a good position, they've got to do what we ask them to do. The entire fourth quarter, they did that."
North Florida (5-3) led 63-60 at the under-5 timeout of the fourth quarter. But the Tigers would get defensive stops on the Ospreys' next six possessions, starting with a game-tying layup from Honesty Scott-Grayson, then a drawn charge by Scott-Grayson that led to a Jala Jordan bucket to push Auburn ahead 65-63. From there, Auburn would never trail again as UNF went nearly five minutes without scoring. Over the final 81 seconds, the Tigers would make seven of eight free throws to seal the win.
"We were looking to create some mismatches," Harris said. "We knew who they could and could not guard. AC was having her way. And when Honesty turns that corner, she's hard to deal with. I just turned those two loose, called some stuff for them, and they executed."
Coulibaly led four Tigers in double figures, topping the 20-point mark for the second straight game. She finished with 23 points, eight rebounds, three steals, two assists and a block. Scott-Grayson overcame early foul trouble to post a 13-point night, and Sania Wells and Annie Hughes added 10 apiece. Wells was clutch at the free-throw line, hitting 8-of-8 attempts as she stayed nearly perfect on the season.
Jordan made a big impact off the bench, especially late, finishing with five points and seven rebounds, along with a key block on a UNF jumper in the paint with just over a minute to play.
As a team, Auburn matched a season-best from the floor, shooting 44.6 percent. The Tigers really came up big at the free-throw line, hitting 18-of-22 attempts for 81.8 percent. Auburn out-rebounded UNF 35-27 and turned 19 Osprey turnovers into 28 points. North Florida out-shot Auburn, hitting 45.8 percent from the field, including six 3-pointers.
Auburn led 37-30 at halftime after a pair of Amoura Graves 3-pointers pushed a one-point lead to seven just before the break. The Tigers would extend that lead to 11 early in the third at 41-30. But from there, North Florida would connect on nine shots in a row over the next five minutes to turn an 11-point deficit into a three-point lead at 52-49. A late free throw by Auburn would tie the score at 54-all headed to the fourth.
Jazz Bond led four Ospreys in double-figures with 15 points. Tiffany Tolbert and Rhetta Moore added 11 apiece.
Up next, the Tigers will compete in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge as they host Oklahoma State on Sunday afternoon at Auburn Arena. Game time is 2 p.m. CT; tickets are available at AUBTix.com.
Late defensive stand pushes Auburn past North Florida 72-65
