AUBURN, Ala. - Auburn associate head coach Damitria Buchanan remains unbeaten in her head coaching career.
Pinch-hitting for Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris, who was ill, Buchanan led the Tigers to victory for the second time this season with a 70-48 win vs. Little Rock Wednesday afternoon at Neville Arena.
"You don't want to lose when you're in a position that you're not used to being in," said Buchanan, who also filled in for Harris in Auburn's 71-62 win over South Alabama on Nov. 10. "Finding out last minute that pressure falls on your shoulder. Didn't want to let our girls down, didn't want to let our fans down."
Veterans Honesty Scott-Grayson and Romi Levy led the way, combining for 38 points. Scott-Grayson led Auburn with 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting while Levy scored 18 points and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds, notching her second career double-double.
"I tried to come out today and be here for my team and Coach J, so I just gave it all," said Levy, a redshirt sophomore who made her first start of the season and played a team-high 31 minutes. "Once I crash the boards, all the other stuff is going to come. I will always bring my best. I had fun starting, I'll have fun coming off the bench. It doesn't matter to me."
Two early 3-pointers by Scott-Grayson gave Auburn a 12-4 lead midway through the first quarter.
"Having confidence in my shot and trusting that my teammates could find me," said Scott-Grayson, a redshirt senior who scored eight points in the opening period. "Having confidence within myself."
The Tigers extended their lead to double digits on Levy's drive. She played all but seven seconds of the first quarter, hitting a pair of free throws in the closing seconds to give the Tigers a 22-8 advantage.
Scott-Grayson grabbed a defensive rebound and drove coast-to-coast to push the Tigers' lead to 16, Auburn's largest of the half.
Scott-Grayson led the Tigers in the half with 12 points while Levy added 11 points and five rebounds.
The visitors outscored Auburn 16-15 in the second quarter despite shooting 17.6 percent from the field (3-17), capitalizing on 10 Auburn fouls to score 10 points from the free-throw line on 17 attempts.
Leading 37-24 at the half, Auburn pulled away in the third quarter, outscoring the Trojans 21-10 in the period to build a 24-point lead.
Making her first career start, Jakayla Johnson scored the first four points of the third quarter. Levy's jumper and free throw gave the Tigers a 20-point lead on their way to leading by as many as 26.
Kaitlyn Duhon populated the box score in multiple categories, scoring eight points on 3-of-4 shooting while contributing three rebounds, three steals and three blocked shots.
Auburn exacted a measure of revenge after losing at Little Rock 57-49 last season.
"We were able to stay together, lift each other up and pull out the win," said Buchanan, who also shepherded the girls' seventh grade team at A&M Consolidated Middle School in College Station, Texas, to an undefeated campaign following her playing career at Texas A&M. "Our team is tough, hard-nosed, physical and aggressive."
Wednesday's matinee started Auburn's six-game homestand to conclude non-conference play.
The Tigers (5-2) welcome UCF to Neville Arena Saturday at 2 p.m. CT.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
Scott-Grayson, Levy lead Auburn past Little Rock 70-48
