Auburn-Coppin State: Tenth-Ranked and Undefeated Tigers Blow Past Eagles

Auburn, AL—Believe it or not, there are other collegiate sports currently going on at Auburn University.

Football is king, but the queen is definitely ladies' basketball.

Auburn women's basketball coach Nell Fortner and her No. 10 ranked lady Tigers cruised to their 12th win of the season Sunday, beating Coppin State 74-46.  

Though it was just another non-conference win for the Tigers, it was Fortner's 100th win as a college coach.  Fortner has won 83 games in five seasons at Auburn and 17 during a one-year stint at Purdue.

"You have to have a great staff to accomplish anything, and I have been fortunate to be surrounded by some very good people and some very good players," Fortner said.

Alli Smalley led all Auburn scorers with 20 points.  Smalley was also 4-for-4 from beyond the arc for the Tigers.  Auburn as a team shot 60 percent from the field (12 of 20) in the second half.  The Tigers, who were up by seven points at halftime, opened the second half on a 12-0 run that put the game away quickly.

The Lady Tigers defense effectively shut down State’s shooting offense. The Eagles shot 17.9 percent from the field (7 of 39) in the second half.  "I thought our defense really picked up in the second half—we were more active and more focused," Fortner said. "We got into a rhythm defensively, we put the press on them, and that seemed to be very effective and forced some turnovers on them."

KeKe Carrier contributed 14 points and five of the Tigers' 13 blocks.  Whitney Boddie finished with a team-leading seven assists. "Whitney created a lot of good shots for me. She got in there and drew in the defense and was able to kick the ball out to me," Smalley said.

Danielle Anders led the Eagles with 18 points, as Coppin State, who made the NCAA tournament in 2007-08 and finished last season with a 22-12 record, has fallen to 0-9 this season.  “The record is not indicative of the level of talent this team has,” Fortner warned her team before the game.

After the holiday break, the Lady Tigers will face visiting Duquesne Monday, Dec. 29 at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum.  Tipoff is set for 5pm EST. 

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The Men’s basketball team has not had the same success so far this season.  However, they are light years away from Jeff Lebo’s previous teams.  The Tigers are 6-4 on the season after beating Virginia by two on the road for a 58-56 thrilling win.

The Tigers return home to face Alabama State (2-6) at Auburn’s Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum tonight.  Tipoff is scheduled for 8pm EST; it’s the final game before the holiday break.