AUBURN, Ala. – Reaching the century mark for the first time in 16 years, Auburn gave head coach Johnnie Harris a record-setting birthday present Friday, overwhelming Viriginia University of Lynchburg 128-36 at Neville Arena.
“Wanted to set the tone,” Harris said. “We knew it could be a lopsided game. We wanted to execute and work on stuff we’ve worked on in practice. We wanted to play hard and play our style of basketball. I thought we did that.”
Auburn set records for most points in a quarter (37), half (68), total points (128) and margin of victory (92).
Students and fans joined the Auburn University pep band in singing “Happy Birthday” to Coach J as the team shook hands with front-row fans following the game’s conclusion.
“I thought it was awesome,” Harris said of the serenade. “It was amazing. I love our band, our fans and our cheerleaders.”
DeYona Gaston led seven Tigers in double figures with a Neville Arena-record 36 points and 11 rebounds, the most points scored since Conswella Sparrow set the all-time Auburn record with 41 in 1998.
“It was pretty fun,” Gaston said. “We did a lot of sharing the ball. We pride ourselves on sharing the ball. It was fun to share it and get the crowd going.”
Celia Sumbane scored 19 points, Audia Young added 18, Kaitlyn Duhon scored 13 and Taylen Collins added 11. Freshmen Jordan Hunter and Syriah Daniels reached double figures for the first time, scoring 15 and 12, respectively.
Leading 68-20 at the half, the Tigers scored the first 21 points of the third quarter, a run that ended when Sumbane made a steal and left the ball for Gaston to bank in for her 1,000th career point.
“Her biggest impact is getting in the gym, bringing people in the gym with her and investing in her team,” Harris said of Gaston. “She’s a great teammate. She’s very encouraging in practice. She let them know, ‘I came here to win, so we’ve got to go to work.’ They have a lot of respect for her. She’s trying to make sure this team understands what it takes to get there. I appreciate her leadership.”
Leading 99-26 after three quarters, Gaston’s points in the paint to open the fourth quarter put Auburn into triple digits for the first time since scoring 119 vs. Sam Houston State on Dec. 5, 2008.
Auburn set the program record for points in a quarter by scoring 37 in the opening period while holding the Dragons to nine points.
All nine Auburn players made at least one steal, helping the Tigers total 25, including a team-high five from Young. The visitors committed 41 turnovers, leading to an astonishing 65-2 advantage in points of turnovers.
Off to a 2-0 start for the third straight season under Harris, Auburn has allowed fewer than 40 points in both games.
With 999 all-time victories, Auburn (2-0) attempts to join the 1,000-win club next Thursday when the Tigers host Little Rock at 7 p.m. CT, Auburn’s final home game for nearly a month.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer