AUBURN, AL (EETV) -- Auburn lost a ton of depth from the 2018 squad and welcomed in eight new faces to the program. The Tigers needed all the help they could get as they defeated the Wofford Terriers in the season opener.
Although she didn't lead the team in scoring, freshman guard Annie Hughes led the team in energy. She was the only freshman in the starting lineup and her passion was on display Wednesday night.
"Annie plays with just so much energy, and she plays just how she talks," Coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. "She's excited, she's loud but her passion for Auburn is undeniable... she looked like she was about to pass out and i said 'Annie fo you need a sub' and she said 'yea just call a 30 gimme a 30 all i need is 30 seconds.'"
Hughes finished the game with 10 points, a team-high four assists and two steals.
The player spotlight, however, must go to Unique Thompson as she finished with a team-high 25 points and 11 rebounds. Thompson was doing her best Karl ' The Mailman' Malone impersonation as defenders draped all over her and she still could not be contained.
She picked up where left off last year, also adding another double-double to her career.
Auburn was up by 11 at halftime and up 10 going into the fourth quarter. It seemed like Auburn would run away but that was not the case.
The Tigers allowed 34 points in the fourth quarter, letting the Terriers hang around and take a 66-65 lead after a Chloe Wanink three-pointer with 6:04 left in the game.
Wanink scored a game-high 28 points and was 8-of-14 from three point range.
Auburn stormed back after a slight scare and went on a mini 5-0 to gain some momentum.
Daisa Alexander had her silky jumper in full rhythm, hitting a 16 foot jumper to put the Tigers ahead by eight with 1:19 remaining in the game.
She made four straight made free throws to ice the game and was 9-of-12 from the free throw line. She also finished with 22 points.
Auburn had only 10 points from their bench, but that was expected because of the lack of depth the Tigers have right now.
"I looked down one time and I could not find a guard, my guards were in dress clothes, we got so many players playing different positions so we pulled it out," Flournoy said. "Everybody contributed and did what they needed to do to get this win."
Auburn will look to continue to improve with their young pieces before Old Dominion comes to Auburn Arena on Nov. 14.
