CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Five Tigers finished in double figures, led by a 21-point effort from sophomore guard Alli Smalley, as the No. 9 Auburn women’s basketball team (13-0) beat Duquesne (9-4), 87-67, in the first game of the Miami Holiday Tournament.
Auburn tallied 11 steals and a season-high 15 blocks, two short of the school record, while improving to 13-0 for just the fifth time in school history.
The Tigers avoided a few Duquesne comebacks, holding on each time to come away with the 20-point victory.
AU scored the first nine points of the game and led 18-6 less than five minutes into the game, but the Dukes would twice cut the lead to as few as four before Auburn pulled away for a 16-point, 50-34, lead at halftime.
“We are a veteran team and with a veteran team there is no panic, you just stay with it and do the things you are capable of doing and things just happen for you,” said Auburn head coach Nell Fortner on her team’s first game since Dec. 21. “We just had to settle in and get our game legs back, get our rhythm, and when we did I thought we were fine.”
Smalley led a pack of five Tigers with 21 points, her second 20-point game in a row and her fourth of the season.
Against Duquesne, Smalley was 8-of-12 from the field, knocking down 3-of-5 from 3-point range.
“That is a great thing when you get five players in double figures,” said Fortner. “We pushed the ball well, we were trying to attack the basket and Whitney Boddie really opened some things up for us and allowed to do some things today. That is what she does so well, she can draw defenses and she can score and I thought she was the most dangerous person on the floor
today.”
Boddie also had a big night as she tallied a career-high 13 assists along with 14 points and six rebounds.
Auburn returns to action Tuesday in the championship game.
The Tigers will take on the host Miami at 6 p.m. at the BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, Fla.