AUBURN, Ala.— Bring on 2026, bring on the SEC.
Mya Petticord matched her season high with 21 points to lead Auburn to a 64-48 win over Jackson State in a Monday matinee at Neville Arena to conclude nonconference competition.
“We did an excellent job coming out in the first quarter, not only playing good offense but our defense was solid as well,” Auburn coach Larry Vickers said. “I was happy with our zone offense execution today.”
Ja’Mia Harris and Sania Richardson each added 12 points to help Auburn improve to 7-1 at home.
Petticord made her presence known immediately after checking in, hitting her first 3-pointer midway through the first quarter to give Auburn a two-point lead.
“The moment I came off the bench,” Petticord said of when she knew she was in the zone. “I felt good during warmups, I was making my shots and that translated to the game. The coaches and my teammates trust my shot and my scoring ability. I needed that before SEC play.”
Harris made a 3-pointer and A’riel Jackson made a jump shot during a 7-0 Auburn run before Petticord’s corner 3 gave the Tigers a 20-10 lead.
Jackson State cut into Auburn’s double-digit lead, pulling within two points on three occasions.
Each time, the home team responded. Khady Leye blocked a shot that led to a transition layup from Harissoum Coulibaly after Petticord’s assist.
Jackson State outscored Auburn 21-18 in the second quarter despite the home Tigers shooting 70 percent from the field in the period. JSU turned six Auburn turnovers into nine points and five offensive rebounds into seven second-chance points.
Petticord, who scored 16 of her 21 points in the first half, ended the second quarter with her fourth 3-pointer to give the Tigers a 40-33 halftime lead.
Auburn flipped the script in the third quarter, forcing 11 turnovers and limiting Jackson State to four points in 10 minutes, including a scoreless span of 8 minutes and 12 seconds.
Coulibaly gave Auburn a 10-point lead with a layup after a steal. The freshman point guard contributed nine points, four rebounds, a game-high four assists and three steals.
Jackson made a steal and passed to Richardson for a layup that capped a 7-0 run that gave the Tigers a 12-point lead.
Richardson opened the fourth quarter with her second 3-pointer, reaching double figures for the first time with a career-high 12 points.
Auburn continued to play excellent defense in the fourth quarter, building a 17-point lead while shutting out Jackson State for the first five and a half minutes of the final period.
Jackson State (2-10) outrebounded Auburn 38-29.
“We don’t want to give up 17 offensive rebounds but their intensity is going to help us prepare for the two games we have this week,” Vickers said.
Auburn (11-3) takes a three-game win streak into Thursday’s SEC opener at Mississippi State at 6:30 p.m. CT at Humphrey Coliseum.
“The pace is going to be a lot faster in the SEC,” Vickers said. “We want to own our pace, make sure we’re continuing to execute and make each other better.”
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer