AUBURN, Ala. – Deyona Gaston scored 35 points, one shy of her career high, to lead Auburn over Alabama State 83-40 Saturday at Neville Arena, the Tigers’ fourth straight win.
“We can be a versatile basketball team, different people stepped up,” said Auburn coach Johnnie Harris, whose Tigers improved to 5-0 at home this season. “Everybody played pretty well. We got sloppy toward the end.”
Gaston exited midway through the fourth quarter after her free throw gave the Tigers a 50-point lead. The graduate student was 14 of 17 from the field and 7 of 10 from the free-throw line.
“Being able to be in the right spot at the right time,” said Gaston, who tallied her fourth game of 25 or more points this season. “Spotting those open areas around the paint and being consistent.”
Celia Sumbane dazzled at both ends of the floor, filling the box score with 16 points, six rebounds, six assists, four steals and a blocked shot.
“I was really pleased with how Celia and DeYona stepped up,” Harris said. “Celia is so unselfish. This kid is getting better and better. We’re seeing her grow up before our eyes. She plays 100 percent and she’s giving everything she has.”
Sumbane and Jordan Hunter hit 3-pointers late in the first quarter to give Auburn a 26-8 lead after the first 10 minutes. Sumbane and Gaston each went 4-for-4 in the quarter while scoring 10 points apiece.
Gaston added 10 more points in the second quarter to help the Tigers outscore the Hornets 28-11 en route to a 54-19 halftime lead.
“I love it here,” said Gaston, who joined Harris’ Auburn program in the summer as a graduate transfer from Texas. “They make me confident in myself. I love being around people who give me the opportunity to play my game.”
Dressed out for the first time this season after recovering from injury, 6-5 sophomore Yakiya Milton gave Auburn a spark with six points, six rebounds and three blocked shots in the absence of fellow forward Taylen Collins, who was ill.
“It was really good to have Yakiya back,” Harris said. “She’s long and athletic. Yakiya was a monster on the boards, she blocked a lot of shots. A lot of what she did didn’t show up in the stat sheet, but she was very active and helped us a lot today.”
Leading by 35 at the half, Gaston and Sumbane continued to pour in points in the third quarter, helping Auburn stretch its lead to 46 midway through the period before the Tigers went cold.
Auburn has now won all 23 meetings with Alabama State in a series that started in 1976-77.
The Tigers (9-3) will now enjoy a Christmas vacation of sorts, an eight-day gap before their non-conference finale against Norfolk State Dec. 29 at 2 p.m. CT at Neville Arena.
“It’s going to get harder,” Gaston said of the final tune-up next Sunday followed by SEC play in January. “These teams are going to get tougher. We’ve got to make sure we’re consistent offensively and defensively and be ready when we come back from this Christmas break.”
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer