Tyrese Tanner scores career-high 29 points in blowout of UAB

Tyrese Tanner scored a career-high 29 points in Auburn’s 80-57 win over UAB on Wednesday. (Credit: Todd Van Emst)

AUBURN — Being from Birmingham, Auburn guard Tyrese Tanner had a bit of an extra incentive to perform well against UAB.

Nobody expected what she ended up doing Wednesday night.

Tanner, a junior, scored a career-high 29 points and had four steals to lead Auburn to a 80-57 victory over UAB in the opening round of the WNIT before a crowd of 778 at Auburn Arena Wednesday night.

“She led us in our press. When Ty is so active at the top of the press, it’s hard to pass over the top of her,” Auburn coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. “She causes a lot of havoc up there. Offensively, in the half court, I thought she did a really good job of attacking the basket and using her height to shoot over the top of the smaller guards.”

It was the fourth 20-point game of the season and seventh in her career for Tanner, whose previous career-high was 26 points from earlier this season. She scored 19 of her points in a 53-35 second half including back-to-back baskets in a matter of 11 seconds.

She blocked a shot which sprung Tigers fast break with Hasina Muhammad and Tanner quickly passing it back and forth and Tanner scoring. She then stole the ball off the ensuing in-bounds pass and scored again to make it 54-34 with 10:28 to go and Auburn continued to pull away.

“That was pretty cool. I was just looking to drive the ball to the basket,” Tanner said. “I saw Hasina Muhammad in my peripheral vision, so we passed it back and forth. Coach Flo told us to up the pressure and also UAB was talking a little smack. I think our intensity level and wanting to get the ball back was pretty good.”

It was a season-high for points in a half for Auburn (17-14) which forced 23 turnovers which led to 30 points compared to just 13 points off 13 turnovers for UAB.

Peyton Davis scored 11 points and Blanche Alverson scored all 11 of her points in the second half for the Tigers who advance to the second round and will face the winner of Western Kentucky and East Carolina; game time and location are not yet determined.

“I know our press gives a lot of people a lot of trouble,” said Davis, who added a game-high seven rebounds. “I know UAB had probably never seen anything like that. I think we jumped on them pretty well in the second half, but I really do think we can make a run. I think this team is hungry, I think we want it, and I think we recognize that we can go far.”

The Tigers went on a 17-2 run including 12 straight early in the second to take a 44-26 lead with 13:41 to go. Alverson’s 0-for-4 outing in the first half was indicative of Auburn’s issues as a team in the opening frame, leading just 27-22 at the break.

“I was getting frustrated in the first half, but I tried to just push it out of my head in the second half,” Alverson said. “Once I made the first one I was way more relaxed going into it.”

Chelsee Black scored 15 points and Karisma Chapman and Amber Jones each had 10 for UAB (18-13) which made the opening basket of the second half to make it a three-point game. Williams-Flournoy called it a “wake up call.”

The first-year Auburn coach had wishful thinking given Tanner’s performance.

“Maybe we should play more teams from Birmingham if we can get 29 points from Ty.”