Auburn Women's Hoops Down Florida, Secures Third Consecutive SEC Victory

Coach Johnnie Harris' squad secured its third consecutive SEC victory in its first conference game at full strength.

Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

Few teams in women's college basketball have battled the injury plague in the fashion of which the Auburn Tigers have in their 2022-23 campaign; the group has struggled to keep its talent on the court through its first 20 games and has still managed to find a way to grab back-to-back victories in conference play.

When second-year head coach Johnnie Harris' squad took the floor against Florida on Monday night, the orange and blue was at full strength for the first time since entering its SEC slate of competition.

The health was a welcomed sight as the group secured its third straight conference win 66-55 over the visiting Gators.

As one might imagine, a return to a full rotation did not necessarily result in an immediate boost in scoring; Auburn posted a first half to forget about from the floor, sinking south of 32 percent of its shots and relying heavily on it's defensive set to keep the visiting Gators at bay.

"I thought we came out a little sluggish," Harris said. "But then I got it back midway through the first quarter. Then I thought my team just played with an edge."

The most encouraging feat for fans of the orange and blue in the first 20 minutes of play? Romi Levy's impressive display in the paint in after missing significant playing time due to lingering effects of a torn ACL a year ago. The standout forward brought down five boards, tallied a pair of points and posted a block in just five minutes of playtime, showing little to no limitations physically.

Levy's impact provided a much-needed spark for a defensive unit which closed out the second quarter by holding its opponent scoreless for the final nine and a half minutes of play.

Auburn closed the second period on a 14-0 run, entering the halftime intermission up 27-20 and with sole possession of all momentum.

"I thought our kids — whether we were in the matchup or in man — they pressured the ball, they helped each other," Harris said. "They covered for each other, covered out, switched, communicated. They did a really great job."

Harris' group did not take its foot off of the gas pedal; the Tigers built upon their lack-luster offensive display in the opening half in the third quarter, knocking down over sixty percent of their shots and storming out to a double-digit lead in the contest's third period.

The Tigers' third-quarter offensive attack was headlined by a nine-point performance from freshman forward Kharyssa Richardson; the standout big tallied an additional three rebounds.

Richardson went on to post 15 total points and 16 rebounds in a highlight contest in her young career.

"This career high, it feels good," Richardson said.

A late-game shooting surge off the hands of Florida brought the contest back within as few as eight point; however, the feat proved insufficient to close the gap for good. Auburn continued to match its opponent in the scoring department, seemingly willing itself into the win column.

The victory marked the first occasion in six years in which the Tigers have secured three consecutive conference victories.

"They know we're trying to make moves one game at a time," Harris said. "And I thought they went in there and just played their hearts out."

Coach J and company will be back in action on Sunday, Feb. 5 when the Tigers play host to a feisty Arkansas Razorbacks team who are hungry for another SEC victory at 2 p.m. CT on SEC Network.