AUBURN, Ala. (EETV) - A 24-point game from Aicha Coulibaly helps Auburn pick up the 90-76 win over Sam Houston.
The Auburn Tigers (1-0) took on the Sam Houston Bearkats (0-1) tonight at Neville Arena, winning the first game of the new campaign.
"We came out and played hard," Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris said. "I thought we played hard the entire game. I don't want to keep using the excuse that our kids are young, but they are. We have a very inexperienced team. But I thought we got a lot off of our defense, which was the key. We want to impose our will and score off of our defense, and I think they're doing a really good job."
The Tigers were able to put up big numbers in many statistical categories. They had 28 bench points, 50 points in the paint, 31 points off turnovers, and 27 fastbreak points. Additionally, Auburn shot 57.1 percent from the three-point line. Having such a diverse offense will only help the Tigers as the season progresses.
Auburn also showed out defensively, finishing with 24 defensive rebounds, seven blocks, and 13 steals.
Coulibaly's 24 points led Auburn tonight, but she also led the team in rebounds with 10. Honesty Scott-Grayson, Sania Wells, and Jakayla Johnson had a three-way tie for the team's leader in assists with four.
Chyna Allen led Sam Houston in points with 15. Madelyn Batista led them in rebounds with eight. Tierney Coleman and Mikayla Woods both had three assists.
Auburn will be back in action on Thursday night when the South Alabama Jaguars travel up to Neville Arena for a midweek contest with the Tigers.
