Hot-shooting Tigers scorch Ragin' Cajuns, 81-41

AUBURN, Ala. – Honesty-Scott Grayson added a trio of 3-pointers to complete a weekend filled with Hoop and Circumstance.

After receiving her psychology degree Saturday during Auburn University's Commencement at Neville Arena, Scott-Grayson returned to the arena Sunday to help the Tigers rout Louisiana 81-41, Auburn's fourth straight win.

"Walking the stage was pretty exciting," she said. "I had my teammates and coaches there to support me. That was a really good experience. We had a big turnaround with the game today. It was very long but it was all worth it."

Auburn made 12 3-pointers on 22 attempts, a sizzling 54.5-percent clip, just two 3s shy of the program record.  

"I didn't think we forced any of them," Auburn coach Johnnie Harris said. "I thought they were all good shots. We have players who can make those shots. They're really confident in their shots, so I expect them to stay in the gym and be able to knock down shots when teams zone us."

Auburn used a 2-3 zone to outscore Louisiana 21-3 in the third quarter to turn a 14-point halftime lead into a 32-point rout, eventually winning by 40.

"Probably played more zone than I have, ever," Harris said of the dominant 10 minutes. "I kept the starters in because they were getting stops and going down and making better decisions on the offensive end."

The Tigers started the second half on a 9-0 run and ended the explosive quarter scoring 11 unanswered points including 3s from Romi Levy, Scott-Grayson and Aicha Coulibaly.

The Tigers made 4 of 6 3-pointers and shot 70 percent in the period while holding Louisiana to one field goal on 13 attempts, a 7.7-percent clip.

Freshman Sydney Shaw made 3 of 4 3-point attempts, scored a career-high 15 points and tied her career best with six assists.

"I was just letting it fly," Shaw said. "I wasn't really thinking too much about my shot. I was just making easy reads and not overthinking the game too much. I let the game come to me."

When Carsen McFadden made a layup for the game's final bucket, all 11 Tigers who played had scored, ending the game on an 11-0 Auburn run.

Coulibaly shared scoring honors with Shaw, tallying 15 points and seven rebounds. Levy stuffed the stat sheet with a team-high eight rebounds, four assists, three blocked shots and a steal.

Scott-Grayson set the tone with a game-opening corner 3-pointer, finishing with 13 points, five rebounds and three assists.

Sania Wells also reached double figures, scoring 10 points in 11 minutes and hitting 3 of 5 3-point attempts.

Auburn outrebounded Louisiana 39-29, blocked nine shots and dished 19 assists while holding the visitors to four.

Auburn (7-2) remains at Neville Arena, where the Tigers are 6-1 this season, for its next three games, beginning Thursday at 7 p.m. CT vs. North Carolina A&T.

"They are hungry," Harris said. "They're trying to do the right thing. They practice hard."

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer