AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn gave head coach Johnnie Harris the best birthday present possible with a 90-76 win over Sam Houston Tuesday night to open the 2022-23 women's basketball season at Neville Arena.
The Tigers (1-0) had four players in double-figures and turned 33 Sam Houston turnovers into 31 points as Auburn won its home opener for the 43rd time in the last 44 seasons.
"We came out and played hard," Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris said. "I thought we played hard the entire game. I don't want to keep using the excuse that our kids are young, but they are. We have a very inexperienced team. But I thought we got a lot off of our defense, which was the key. We want to impose our will and score off of our defense, and I think they're doing a really good job."
Junior Aicha Coulibaly lived up to her billing as a preseason All-SEC selection with a 24-point, 10-rebound night for the sixth double-double of her career. She also contributed three assists, two steals and a block.
Seniors Honesty Scott-Grayson and Sania Wells along with freshman Sydney Shaw each finished with 12 points. Wells and Scott-Grayson, alongside sophomore Mar'Shaun Bostic, shared the team lead with four assists apiece, and Scott-Grayson matched a career-high with five steals.
Freshman Kaitlyn Duhon had eight rebounds and nine points, and her classmate Kharyssa Richardson added seven rebounds.
Despite cooling off in the fourth quarter, the Tigers shot 46.5 percent from the field and were a stellar 20-of-25 (80%) at the free-throw line in a game that featured a combined 57 fouls. Sam Houston won the rebounding battle 44-40, but the Tigers outscored the Bearkats in the paint 50-24 and were strong in the transition game as well with 27 points on fast breaks.
Auburn led 22-18 after 10 minutes, and Sam Houston hung around through much of the second quarter. But the Tigers finished the opening half on a 14-3 run and held Sam Houston without a field goal the final five minutes to take a 47-36 lead to the break.
Midway through the third, three straight fast-break buckets for the Tigers helped push their advantage to 63-40, their largest of the night so far. The lead would swell to as much as 26 before Auburn took a 73-49 lead into the fourth.
The 33 turnovers forced by Auburn were the most since the 2017-18 season when ULM had 35 in a game.
Shaw, Richardson and Duhon were all in the starting lineup, the first time since records are available that three true freshmen started their first game at Auburn. Five newcomers in all saw action in Tuesday's game as junior Jakayla Johnson and freshman Mya Pratcher both logged significant minutes.
Chyna Allen led Sam Houston with 15 points, and Madelyn Batista and Adriana Djokovic added 10 apiece.
It will be a quick turnaround for Auburn as they will take on South Alabama at home Thursday night. Tip is set for 7 p.m. CT at Neville Arena; it's the Beat Bama Food Drive game, and fans can bring three non-perishable food items to receive a free general admission ticket.
Auburn tops Sam Houston 90-76 to open 2022-23 season
