Tigers Deliver Emphatic Victory Over Samford, Extend Win Streak to Six

Auburn women's hoops refused to lose to in-state foe Samford, extending its win streak to six and delivered its largest margin of victory since 2008.

Author:
Harrison Tarr
Publish date:
Dec 18, 2022 2:53 PM EST

In the world of women's college basketball, every game presents an opportunity for a team to develop its identity, talent and confidence; for Auburn women's hoops, Sunday afternoon's non-conference clash with Samford was the perfect storm of improving in all three aspects.

To put it lightly, the Tigers refused to lose, delivering yet another emphatic victory over the visiting Bulldogs 91-37. The win is the largest margin of victory since the program defeated Sam Houston 119-54.

After watching senior guard Honesty Scott-Grayson tear up the hardwood over the past five contests, junior forward Romi Levy decided that Sunday afternoon was the time to remind the basketball world what she was capable of; Levy posted 13 points, four steals, three assists and a trio of rebounds in the first 20 minutes alone.

“I think that, personally, when I play good defense, offense is just coming to me," Levy said. "We just had the energy man. We played together. Once we had the chemistry, once it’s all come together it’s so much fun to be on the court and be there with everyone.”

Scott-Grayson was not about to let the orange and blue clad fans forget about her; despite the rim being less-than generous from range, the star guard found her groove from mid-range — posting nine points from the floor — and forced the Bulldogs to respect her on the defensive end, poking away a pair of steals in the opening three minutes.

“I challenged our team to come out and impose our will and embrace the way we play, play to exhaustion because we did have a bench that’s ready to come in and I thought they did that," head coach Johnnie Harris said. "I thought that was the key to the game, how they came out and started. Offensively, we did a really good job of sharing the ball."

Auburn headed into the halftime intermission leading its opponent by a staggering 47-11 tally.

Despite taking its foot off of the gas in the tempo department, the second half was a continued scoring frenzy and defensive clinic for coach J's squad. As was commonplace in the first 20 minutes, Auburn found offensive production from all parts of its lineup.

"If you want to be out there on the court, you better keep it up," sophomore guard Sania Wells said. "Honestly, I feel like it’s just so much fun. The energy we get from those turnovers, we want to keep that going the whole game until the clock stops.”

Each Tiger to check in recorded at least 2 points.

The likes of Precious Johnson, Mya Pratcher and Kaitlyn Duhon were given meaningful minutes. The young group continued to implement the full-court press, generating turnovers and building on the physical brand that coach Harris has emphasized throughout the majority of the young season.

Coach J's group will look to close out their non-conference slate on a seven-game winning streak when the Ospreys of North Florida enter Neville arena for the conclusion of Auburn's six-game homestand on Tues. Dec. 20. Tipoff between the familiar foes is set for noon central time on SEC Network plus and the Auburn Radio Network.