AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn used a suffocating defense to force a season-high in turnovers, tied a school record in steals, and four players scored in double figures as the Tigers crushed Samford 91-37 Sunday afternoon at Neville Arena.
The Tigers (9-2) turned 36 Bulldog turnovers into 50 points and saw every player on the active roster score for the third time this season as Auburn won its sixth straight.
"We wanted to come out and impose our will," Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris said. "We told them to embrace our style of play today, to give me everything they've got. And they did that."
Auburn's 24 steals tied the program record, previously set against Tennessee State in 2001 and East Carolina in 2015. The Tigers' 36 forced turnovers were their most in a game since forcing Troy into 38 in the 2016-17 season opener. And the 54-point margin of victory was the largest since the 2008-09 season when the Tigers defeated Sam Houston 119-54.
"We knew we could get into them pretty good," Harris said. "Coach Fred (Williams) changed a couple of things in our press, and it was really good. We were on-ball and trapping a little more in the backcourt. We're trying to get our kids to be more aggressive, and to get in the passing lanes. We still play the way we play, but we were doing more trapping. I just wanted to force the action, and when we do that, it helps us get into our game mode, impose our will, and do the things we do best."
Romi Levy was huge at both ends of the floor, scoring 13 points along with seven rebounds, five assists and five steals, plus a pair of blocked shots. She was 5-of-6 from the floor and did not have a turnover on the day. Sania Wells had a career-high eight rebounds along with 10 points, three assists and three steals, and Honesty Scott-Grayson led the Tigers in scoring for the sixth time in seven games with a game-high 14 points.
Precious Johnson added a season-high 11 points along with five rebounds, and Sydney Shaw led Auburn in assists for the third straight game with six; she also had six points and four steals. Mya Pratcher (8), Jakayla Johnson (8) and Carsen McFadden (4) also tied or exceeded their previous season-highs in scoring.
Auburn shook off a cold stretch through a big chunk of the first quarter to lead 16-6 after 10 minutes. But the second quarter would be all Auburn as they used a 29-2 run to take a 47-11 lead at the half; the 31-point quarter was the Tigers' second 30+ point period in as many games.
From there, the Tigers continued their dominance on both ends of the floor, outscoring the Bulldogs 27-9 in the third to lead 74-20; the lead grew as large as 56 midway through the fourth.
Auburn shot 50.8 percent (32-63), the third time this season above the .500 mark from the floor. The Tigers also hit 10 3-pointers, giving them 29 over the last three games. Auburn was also strong from the free-throw line, hitting 17-of-20 (85%). Samford was held to 27.3 percent shooting and 15.8 percent from 3-point range.
Carly Heidger led Samford with nine points off the bench, and Masyn Marchbanks added seven.
The Tigers close out non-conference play Tuesday as they host North Florida at Neville Arena. Game time is set for noon CT.
Auburn defense sparks 91-37 rout of Samford
