AUBURN, Ala. (AP) -- Once Tasha Hamilton and Auburn (No. 8 ESPN/USA Today; No. 5 AP) hit their stride, they could not be stopped.

The Tigers reeled off a 25-5 run beginning at the end of the first half to beat South Carolina 73-50 Sunday.

"Good teams can make adjustments and that is what we did at halftime," Auburn coach Joe Ciampi said.

"We started to attack the press and I thought the first five minutes of the second half was critical. I thought that was the best five minutes we've played in the second half in awhile," he said.

Shana Askew and Hamilton scored 16 points apiece for the Tigers (12-2, 1-1 Southeastern Conference). Hamilton celebrated her 21st birthday with 14 second-half points.

Auburn closed the first half on a 13-3 run to take a 29-25 lead, then outscored the Lady Gamecocks (10-4, 0-1) 12-2 in the first five minutes after halftime.

The Tigers forced 29 turnovers, getting 16 steals. The Lady Gamecocks shot just 31 percent in the second half after hitting 48 percent in the first.

"Auburn is one of the best teams in the country," South Carolina coach Susan Walvius said. "They did a great job on defense, especially in the second half."

Hamilton had four steals and four assists. Conswella Sparrow had 10 points, while LeCoe Willingham had 10 rebounds and seven points.

For South Carolina, reserve Linda Hoglund had eight points in nine minutes.

The Lady Gamecocks were just 1 of 8 from the free-throw line, while Auburn went 24-for-36. Auburn's starters outscored South Carolina's 57-21.

"Today we asked five players to play as one and they did that," Ciampi said. "The team was sky-high coming into the game and the whole team played ready."