SportsCollege

Actions

SEC stunner! ODU women’s hoops upsets Auburn 89-77 on the road

Posted at 11:06 PM, Nov 14, 2019
and last updated 2019-11-14 23:06:42-05

Ajah Wayne, ODU women’s basketball

AUBURN, Ala. (ODUSports.com) – In her home state of Alabama, sophomore Ajah Wayne put up a career-high 35 points against Auburn to lift ODU (2-0) over the Tigers, 89-77 on Thursday night. The victory marked the first win over a Power 5 school since the Monarchs defeated Virginia on March 19, 2015.

“First of all, this win goes out to our team and our staff. They really worked hard. Our kids have had three really good days of practice,” said head coach Nikki McCray.

In the first quarter, ODU got off to a 24-21 start off 13 points from Wayne, 6 points from Victoria Morris and 5 from Taylor Edwards. In the second quarter, Auburn (1-1) inched closer to ODU outscoring the Monarchs 18-17. ODU went into the locker room with a 41-39 lead.

Ajah Wayne, ODU women’s basketball

“Today we locked in on some things and started to focus on who we were. I think we came out and showed a lot of maturity on this court; this is a tough place to play.”

Coming out of the locker room, ODU and the Tigers both put up 19 points. ODU went on a 8-0 scoring run to lead the entire third period. In the final period, ODU opened up scoring and went 5-for-5 from three-point range and 9-for-10 in field goal range. Early in the fourth, ODU and the Tigers were tied, which quickly changed after a Morris three pointer at 8:21 left in the fourth. The Monarchs then scored 29 points to solidify the win.

Overall, ODU shot 59 percent from field goal range. The Tigers led for a mere 45 seconds, while the Monarchs biggest lead was 16 points in the fourth quarter. The Monarchs scored 30 points in the paint, where seven total Monarchs scored points. Sophomore Mariah Adams also recorded six assists, a career-high.

Up Next
ODU is set to host Winthrop in their annual Education Day on Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 11 am.

ODU Notes:
First win over a Power 5 opponent since March 19, 2015.
Ajah Wayne’s 35 points was first 30+ point game since Jennie Simms on March 9, 2017 against Southern Miss.
Wayne surpassed her previous career-high (24) with just over six minutes to go in the final quarter.
Wayne posted a double-double – 35 pts, 10 rebounds.
Mariah Adams dished out a career-high 6 assists.
Amaya Register recorded her first collegiate points in the start of the second quarter (9:14).