Auburn Downs Alcorn State 62-5. It wasn’t always pretty, but a win is a win. The Auburn women’s basketball team pushed their home record to 6-1 on Thursday night, defeating Alcorn State 62-50 at Neville Arena. While the Tigers showed flashes of brilliance—particularly in transition—Coach Larry Vickers left the arena looking for more “fire” from his squad.
Key Performers
Two Tigers stood out in the scoring column, providing the offensive spark needed to build a substantial lead:
- Khady Leye: 15 points (including a dominant 9-point first quarter) and 5 rebounds.
- Harissoum Coulibaly: 14 points, fueled by aggressive defense.
- Sania Richardson: Provided the highlight of the night with a buzzer-beating half-court heave to end the first half.
SANIA BEATS THE BUZZER FROM HALFCOURT!#WarEagle | #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/3xII0pIfT8
— Auburn Women's Basketball (@AuburnWBB) December 19, 2025
The Good: Defense and Transition
Auburn leaned heavily on its defensive identity to pull away early. The Tigers’ “bread-and-butter” was on full display:
- 29 points scored off 24 Alcorn turnovers.
- 15 steals (exceeding their season average).
- 27 fast-break points and 42 points in the paint, showing their ability to run and finish.
The Bad: A Slow Finish
Despite leading by as many as 23 points, the Tigers stumbled in the fourth quarter. Alcorn State outscored Auburn 17-6 in the final period, forcing seven turnovers and holding the Tigers to just 2-of-10 shooting.
“I’ve got to do a better job of figuring out my locker room and how to motivate them,” Vickers said. “We’ve got to want a lot more. We’ve got to want to be more dominant as we prepare for the best league in the country.”
Game Breakdown by Quarter
| Quarter | Highlights |
| 1st | Leye goes 4-for-5 to spark an 18-6 Tiger lead. |
| 2nd | Kaitlyn Duhon scores 7 in the quarter; Richardson hits a 50-foot buzzer-beater. |
| 3rd | Coulibaly and Richardson stretch the lead to 23 points. |
| 4th | Offensive stagnation; Alcorn State goes on a 10-0 run to close the gap. |
Looking Ahead
While Auburn improves to an impressive 56-3 all-time against SWAC opponents, the focus now shifts to consistency. As SEC play nears, the Tigers will need to find ways to score in the half-court when their transition game isn’t clicking.
