AUBURN VS NORTHERN IOWA

PHOTO BY: @billkiser / @vidaily.news

CHARLOTTE AMALIE, St. Thomas – DeYona Gaston scored a team-high 18 points - but none bigger than the 3-pointer she sunk with 1.6 seconds left to lift the Auburn Tigers (4-2) to a 65-64 win over Northern Iowa (3-2) on day one of the 2024 Paradise Jam.

The Tigers opened the game on a 6-0 run, and kept a modest lead over UNI in the opening quarter - taking a five-point (12-7) advantage after one. While the Tigers pushed their lead into double figures (25-14) midway through the second, UNI came charging back, pulling to within two points in the final minute of the half, and Auburn carried a five-point (31-26) lead into halftime. 

The Panthers pushed forward in the third quarter and tied the game at 33-33 on a second-chance 3-pointer by Maya McDermott two minutes into the half, and the two teams went back-and-forth down the stretch, with three lead changes and five ties in the third quarter - including the 49-49 tie that took the game into the fourth quarter.

Auburn reclaimed the advantage in the fourth quarter, jumping ahead by six points midway through the fourth quarter, but Northern Iowa stormed back, using a 7-0 run to take a 62-60 lead into the game’s final minute. Auburn tied the game with 29 seconds to play, and with 3.7 seconds remaining, McDermott hit a pair of free throws to put the Panthers up; setting the stage for the game-winning 3-pointer.

Auburn returns to action on Friday in a 1:30 p.m. matchup with Pitt, followed by Northern Iowa tipping at 4 p.m. against Kansas.

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