AUBURN, Ala. –Three Tigers scored in double figures but Alabama took control early and never trailed to beat Auburn 88-57 Sunday at Neville Arena.
Sania Wells matched a season-high with 13 points, Kharyssa Richardson scored a career-high 11 and Mar'shaun Bostic added 10 to lead the Tigers.
Auburn played without leading scorer and rebounder Aicha Coulibaly, who was injured Saturday in practice.
"That can happen at any time," Auburn coach Johnnie Harris said. "Somebody else has to step up, and I've got to get those people ready."
Alabama (13-4, 2-2) capitalized on two early Auburn turnovers while building a 7-0 lead. After missing three games with injuries, Honesty Scott-Grayson checked in and the Tigers quickly cut the deficit to 7-4, but Alabama answered with layups and 3-pointers to extend its lead to 16-5.
"We let them penetrate, we'd come over to help, and they'd kick it," Harris said. "We didn't have the rotation down that we were supposed to have. We're relying on players who haven't been in this position."
Scott-Grayson, who scored six points in 17 minutes, beat the shot clock with a 3-pointer but Alabama outscored the Tigers 26-14 in the opening quarter by hitting 4 of 5 3-pointers and shooting 76.9 percent.
Alabama scored 48 points in the paint to Auburn's 20. The Crimson Tide shot 56.9 percent for the game while holding Auburn to 34.5 percent. Brittany Davis was 10-for-15 and scored a game-high 24 points.
Sydney Shaw hit back-to-back 3-pointers and Bostic made a 3-point play in a 9-0 Auburn run that energized the home crowd in the fourth quarter. Bostic led the Tigers with five rebounds and three assists.
Auburn celebrated Alumni Weekend, welcoming back former players, coaches and support staff from the 1970s to the 2020s.
Auburn (10-6, 0-4) hopes the seven-day span until the Tigers' next game will allow the team to be closer to full strength when it visits No. 7 LSU (16-0, 4-0) Sunday at 2 p.m. CT.
"I'm going to have to coach these young players better," Harris said. "I'm going to have to teach them better and get them ready to play. This is what we have and we've just got to get them ready to play."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
Shorthanded Auburn falls to Alabama
