Before Sunday's women's basketball match-up between the Auburn Tigers-then ranked 25th in the nation - and the Buffalo Bulls, Buffalo head coach Cheryl Dozier stated the importance of being fundamentally sound and "knowing when to run and when not to."
If this was a track meet, the Bulls would've been disqualified.
In a game that resembled what could've happened if the Tigers' and Bulls' football teams collided, Auburn (6-2) trampled Buffalo (1-3) underfoot with stifling defense and master thievery playing equal parts in contributing to an easy 82-32 win at Beard Eaves Arena in Auburn, Ala.
The combination of 23 Auburn steals, including four for Louise Emeagi, and woeful shooting by the Bulls - a cringe-inducing four of 21 in the first half - made for an easy Tiger triumph.
The Bulls trailed 35-11 in the first half, and didn't fare much better in the second half. Auburn's 47 second-half points were enough to easily handle the Bulls' output in the entire contest.
Mandisa Stevenson had 16 points and eight rebounds, leading the Tigers piracy of the good ship Buffalo. Emeagi added 14 points, Nitasha Brown scored 12 points and Natasha Brackett posted 10, as every player on the Auburn roster registered at least a bucket.
Kim Kilpela's 13 points and nine rebounds led UB, which as a team committed 30 turnovers that resulted in 43 points. The Bulls' shooting matched their win percentage, as they were successful on one out of every four attempts.
The game served as a homecoming for Bulls assistant coach Evelyn Thompson, who starred for Auburn in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The Bulls' last home game for two weeks is this Wednesday at 7 p.m. against the St. John's Red Storm in Alumni Arena.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
