LAFAYETTE, La. – DeYona Gaston scored 29 points and pulled down 10 rebounds as Auburn picked up its second road victory of the year, defeating Louisiana-Lafayette 68-51 Wednesday morning at the Cajundome.
Auburn (8-3) used a massive size advantage to control the paint and the boards, despite a season-high 25 turnovers in front of a record crowd of just under 6,000 on Education Day in Lafayette.
“You come on the road, it’s a tough environment, but you get a win that you need to get, that you’re supposed to get,” Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris said. “We started the way we should start, we started the second half the way we should start, and we finished the way we should finish.”
Gaston’s double-double was her fourth of the season, and it was her third time topping the 25-point mark.
Oyindamola Akinbolawa also benefited from the Tigers’ size advantage, scoring a career-high 10 points and falling just one rebound shy of her first double-double.
“I think (Oyin) and DeYona are becoming a really good combo inside,” Harris said. “Oyin’s been working, we’ve been on her, but she’s another kid that has great work ethic and will continue to get better and better.”
Syriah Daniels hit a pair of 3-pointers and finished with nine points, and Taylen Collins also scored nine to go along with seven rebounds.
After a slow start, Auburn shot 48 percent from the floor (25-52) including a 68-percent clip (15-22) in the second half. But along with the strong shooting came 13 second-half turnovers.
Despite that, Auburn scored 22 points off 19 ULL turnovers and out-rebounded the Cajuns 41-26. Auburn also had 17 second-chance points off 11 offensive rebounds.
Auburn also had its best free-throw shooting day of the season, hitting 15-of-17 at the line.
“A lot of times, when one person goes up there and they’re confident and they knock them down, the next person is going to go up there and knock them down,” Harris said. “We’ve been working on that, shooting pressure free throws in practice. Just trying to make sure they’re ready for those moments.”
The Tigers opened the second half on a 9-0 run to extend their halftime lead to 19 early in the third quarter. The Cajuns would not get any closer than 13 points the rest of the way.
Auburn led 29-19 at the half as both teams struggled from the field and with turnovers. The Tigers’ first-half saving grace was their strong free-throw shooting as they made 8-of-9 from the stripe.
With less than five seconds to play in the half, Jordan Hunter pulled down a defensive rebound and raced the length of the court to knock down a 12-foot jumper at the buzzer to push Auburn’s halftime advantage to 10.
Erica Lafayette and Tamiah Robinson scored 12 points each to lead Louisiana-Lafayette (4-5), which was shorthanded with just eight players dressed.
Auburn hosts Alabama State on Saturday, Dec. 21, at Neville Arena. Tip is set for noon CT for the Tigers’ last game before the holiday break.