AUBURN, Ala. – On the day Auburn retired the jersey of all-time scoring leader DeWanna Bonner, the Tigers used a stellar start and a fabulous finish to defeat Alabama 78-65 Sunday at Neville Arena.
In the first and fourth quarters, Auburn outscored Alabama 50-20, defeating their in-state rival for the first time in their past 10 meetings.
"Really feels good to get my first win over Alabama, and this team's first win in a while," Auburn coach Johnnie Harris said. "It was special to do this in front of our alumni. We prepared well. Our team was focused, they were locked in. We wanted to set the tone and I felt like we did. Really happy with the win."
Honesty Scott-Grayson led Auburn with 19 points, JaMya Mingo-Young scored 12 and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, and Savannah Scott added 10.
"We knew what we had to do, DB was here, great win," Scott-Grayson said. "We always appreciate the support. The crowd is growing each and every home game, and we appreciate it. That game was all about who wanted it more, and we wanted it more."
Trailing by one point after three quarters, Auburn opened the fourth quarter with a full-court press that led to an 8-0 run on a pair of free throws and three consecutive ive steals and layups to take a 58-51 lead.
"We hadn't pressed all game," Harris said. "I really wanted to get some energy going. We went on a run and I felt like that was the difference in the ballgame. I think it caught them off guard. It got the energy going in the building. That's the way we play."
After the visitors pulled within two, Sydney Shaw hit a 3-pointer to start a 9-0 run that put the Tigers on top by 11 with 3:05 to play after Scott-Grayson's floater.
With Bonner's No. 24 hanging from the rafters, Auburn started the game in a manner reminiscent of the team she led to the 2009 SEC Championship.
The Tigers made their first five shots, including 3-pointers from Kaitlyn Duhon and Mingo-Young en route to a 12-0 lead.
Auburn forced eight turnovers in the opening quarter, converting them into 10 points and taking a 15-point lead on Shaw's 3-pointer.
Duhon's 3-point-play gave the Tigers a 22-6 lead after the first quarter.
"The energy in the building was crazy to start the game," Mingo Young said. "We started off hot."
Alabama trimmed Auburn's lead to single digits in the second quarter before Mingo-Young drove and beat the shot clock with a nifty left-handed layup against her former teammates to help the Tigers take a 40-30 halftime lead.
"It's not anything personal. We just needed a win," Mingo-Young said. "It felt good to beat them."
Auburn struggled against Alabama's zone in the third quarter while being outscored 21-10. Alabama's Jessica Timmons, who led all scorers with 26 points, capped an 8-0 run that put the Crimson Tide ahead by three before Scott scored in the paint to pull the Tigers within one point at 51-50 going to the fourth quarter.
Auburn (13-6, 2-4) is off until next Monday, Jan. 29, when it welcomes Georgia to Neville Arena, where the Tigers are 10-2 this season.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
Auburn retires DeWanna Bonner's jersey, beats Alabama 78-65
