AUBURN, Ala. – Led by 32 points and 14 rebounds from DeYona Gaston, three players recorded double-doubles for Auburn women’s basketball in a 106-26 win over LaGrange Thursday night in the Tigers’ lone exhibition matchup at Neville Arena.
Taylen Collins added 22 points and 14 rebounds, and Mar’Shaun Bostic had 12 points, 13 assists and eight steals on a night when Auburn started hot and stayed hot on both ends of the floor.
“I liked the fact that our point guards took care of the ball and we executed some good stuff,” Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris said. “I was a little disappointed on the defensive end, I know we got our hands on a lot of passes, but I thought we were out of position a lot and gambled too much. There’s going to be teams that will make us pay for that. We’ll go back and watch the film and work on a few things, but I was really pleased. We had some players out, but our younger players were able to get in, get in the mix, and get some experience.”
The Tigers shot 57 percent (45-79) from the field, assisting on 31 of the 45 made field goals, with 80 of their 106 points coming in the paint.
Gaston was a stellar 15-of-17 from the field while adding four assists, three steals and a block in her first time on the floor at Neville Arena. Collins was 10-of-16 shooting, and Bostic was a perfect 6-of-6.
Three others scored in double figures for Auburn. Oyindamola Akinbolawa, Audia Young and Jordan Hunter all scored 10 points, and Celia Sumbane added nine. Syriah Daniels also filled the stat sheet with four rebounds, three steals and two assists.
The Tigers hit 11 of their first 12 shots, opening the game on a 23-2 run, and never looked back. It was 59-11 at halftime and 84-20 after three quarters.
Auburn forced LaGrange into 30 turnovers, converting those into 41 points. The Tigers also pulled down 57 rebounds to the Panthers’ 25.
Zyhia Johnson and Tianna Rabsatt scored six points each to lead LaGrange.
Auburn officially begins the 2024-25 season Monday night when Southern Illinois visits Neville Arena. Game time is set for 6 p.m. CT.
Season tickets and single-game tickets are on sale now by visiting AUBTix.com or by calling 855-282-2010.