In its most complete performance of the season, Auburn dismantled an overmatched Alabama A&M, 84-45, on Tuesday night at Auburn Arena to move back to .500 on the season.

The Bulldogs managed only two shots prior to the game’s first media timeout and were hounded throughout by the Tigers’ press, which forced 29 turnovers.

And when A&M did manage to get shots off, things didn’t go much better for it, as the Bulldogs finished the game shooting just 29 percent.

“I just thought it was a really great defensive effort,” Auburn coach Nell Fortner said. “I felt like the press at the beginning of the game really set the tempo for the game. We created turnovers, we turned them into offense, and it kind of got us going.

Jordan Greenleaf had a big first half for the Tigers (6-6), netting 10 points en route to a 15-point night to lead all scorers. Blanche Alverson scored 14, Alli Smalley and Chantel Hilliard scored 12 and Morgan Toles pitched in 11. The five Tigers in double figures was the most since a Feb. 12, 2009, win against Kentucky.

“It’s just good to be back home and back on our home floor,” Greenleaf said of Auburn’s first home game in 24 days. “We just came out trying to execute to the best of our abilities, and to try to get ready for SEC play. I think we all had the mindset to keep getting better.”

The Tigers led 43-19 at halftime and 57-21 by the first media timeout of the second half, when the starters’ nights largely ended.

“We wanted to not lose our intensity, and we didn’t want to make mistakes,” Fortner said.

“As far as our aggressiveness defensively and … offensively, pushing the ball and really feeling wings, it was very good today.”

Perhaps the only low point of the game for Auburn came on its first possession, when the Tigers missed five consecutive shots from point-blank range before Parrisha Simmons was called for an offensive foul.

From there, however, it was all Auburn.

Greenleaf scored the Tigers’ first 4 points and Bulldogs’ (5-6) turnovers were plentiful, as Auburn built an early 12-2 lead. The Bulldogs trailed by no less than 7 the rest of the way.

Fortner was, however, disappointed with the Tigers’ 21 turnovers.

“Twenty-one turnovers is way too much, and I felt like we did that with some poor decisions instead of what the defense forced us into. We have to make sure that doesn’t happen.”