Auburn
AUBURN, Ala. (11/09/2026) — Phoenix Stotijn scored a game-high 20 points and the Auburn Tigers outrebounded Furman 50-27 in a commanding 74-56 victory Monday night at Neville Arena. Playing in front of 7,113 fans, Auburn shot 41% from the field and 36% from three-point range to pull away from the Paladins and secure a double-digit final margin.
How It Happened
Auburn's first quarter opened with a quick strike — Stotijn got the Tigers on the board with a 6-foot jumper at the 8:26 mark — but the Furman Paladins proved competitive through the opening period. Clare Coyle, who finished with a game-high 22 points for Furman, capped the quarter with an 11-foot jumper to give the Paladins a 13-12 edge.
Furman kept the pressure on in the second. Alyssa Ervin converted two free throws to push the lead to 14-12, and Coyle added a 5-foot jumper to stretch it to 16-12. Ervin then connected from 26 feet — assisted by Coyle — to give Furman its largest lead of the night at 21-16 with 4:33 remaining in the half.
The momentum shifted from that point forward. Ashley Knox buried a 23-footer off a Sania Richardson assist to trim the gap to 21-19, and the Auburn Tigers immediately responded. Ja'Mia Harris converted a free throw with 17 seconds remaining, sending Auburn to the locker room with a 26-21 lead — the first of a sustained stretch that would define the contest.
Turning Point
The game broke open with a 19-0 Auburn run spanning the closing minutes of the second quarter and carrying deep into the third, turning a two-point deficit into a commanding 14-point advantage.
Kaitlyn Duhon opened the third with a layup, and Harris followed with a 24-foot three-pointer — Richardson assisting again — to cap the extended surge and push the lead to 35-21 at the 7:18 mark. Furman had no answer for Auburn's combination of perimeter shooting and interior depth during that stretch, and the double-digit cushion proved too substantial to overcome.
Sophia Pearl briefly interrupted the Auburn run with a 27-foot three-pointer to make it 35-24, but the Tigers continued to build. Ervin's second three of the game at 4:18 pulled Furman to 43-31, yet Stotijn finished the quarter with a driving layup and a 25-foot three-pointer — Williams assisting on the latter — to send Auburn into the fourth quarter firmly ahead, 52-35.
Star of the Game
Phoenix Stotijn was the clear driving force for the Auburn Tigers. The forward produced at every level of the floor throughout the night — opening the scoring with a mid-range jumper, converting in traffic off a drive in the third quarter, and stepping back for a 25-foot triple to cap Auburn's decisive run. Stotijn finished with 20 points and four rebounds, adding a free throw in the fourth quarter as the Tigers maintained their advantage. Her sequence of scores from the 2:09 mark through the final seconds of the third quarter effectively closed the door on any Furman comeback.
What It Means
The victory was a team effort backed by genuine depth. Zaniyah Williams finished with eight points, four rebounds, and three assists — including back-to-back 26-foot three-pointers in the fourth quarter at 1:55 and 0:25 that pushed the margin to 20 — while Harris contributed eight points and two assists. Duhon added seven points and five rebounds in consistent interior work throughout the game.
The rebounding edge — Auburn 50, Furman 27 — underscored the Tigers' physical advantage across all four quarters. Despite committing 22 turnovers, Auburn's ability to dominate the glass and generate second-chance opportunities neutralized any Furman momentum.
For the Paladins, Coyle and Ervin combined for 41 of Furman's 56 points, with Coyle adding six rebounds and scoring right up to the final buzzer with a layup at 0:04. Ervin connected on two three-pointers on the night and was a consistent offensive presence. But Furman's 25% shooting from beyond the arc and 17 turnovers left the team unable to maintain the early lead it had worked to build, as Auburn's second-half surge at Neville Arena proved the difference.
