AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn women's basketball team is back at Auburn Arena Sunday afternoon, hosting the Oklahoma Sooners as part of the 2018 SEC/Big 12 Challenge. Game time is 3 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised by SEC Network.
Fans entering the arena will receive a free Aubie Christmas ornament while supplies last. Sunday will also be the first halftime Baby Race of the season – for information on the halftime Baby Race, email markets@auburn.edu.
Auburn (5-1) is coming off the 250th head coaching win of Terri Williams-Flournoy's career, a 77-58 victory at Xavier University of Louisiana on Wednesday night. Emari Jones scored 16 points to lead the Tigers, and Unique Thompson added 15.
Thompson is Auburn's leader in both scoring (14.8 ppg) and rebounding (12.8 rpg) through six games. She is second in the SEC and 11th nationally in rebounds.
The Tigers are seeking their first win in an SEC/Big 12 Challenge game. In their only previous appearance in the event, Auburn fell at Kansas State 71-66 on Dec. 1, 2016.
Oklahoma (2-4) comes into Sunday's game after an 84-80 loss at New Mexico. The Sooners are led by freshman Taylor Robertson, who averages 18.3 points per game and is the nation's second-leading 3-point shooter.
Andy Burcham, Larry DiChiara and Brit Bowen will have the radio call of Sunday's game on WTGZ 93.9 FM beginning at 2:45 p.m. CT; the broadcast is also available online at AuburnTigers.com. Brenda VanLengen and Andraya Carter will call the action on the SEC Network.
QUICK HITS
• Auburn is the highest-rated SEC team in the latest NCAA RPI (Nov. 30), coming in at No. 13
• Auburn and Oklahoma are playing each other in women's basketball for the first time
• This is Auburn's first home non-conference game against a team not from Louisiana in more than a year
• Auburn defeated Xavier (La.) on the road Wednesday night 77-58
• The win at Xavier (La.) was the 250th career coaching victory for Auburn head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy
• Sophomore Unique Thompson has recorded four double-doubles in six games, including three straight
• With 12.8 rebounds per game, Thompson ranks second in the SEC and 11th in the nation
• Thompson's 9.2 defensive rebounds per game rank second in the SEC and seventh nationally
• Thompson now has 11 career double-doubles, tied for 14th in Auburn history
• Thompson's 19-point, 14-rebound double-double at Iowa State was her 3rd of the season and 9th of her career
• Thompson's 19 rebounds at New Mexico were a career-high and the most by an Auburn player since 2015
• Under Coach Flo, Auburn is 4-0 when scoring at least 90 points and 25-1 when scoring at least 80 points
• Six Auburn players scored in double-figures vs. Grambling; the first time Auburn has done that since 2008 vs. Sam Houston State
• Janiah McKay (16 pts/10 assists) and Unique Thompson (14 pts/13 rebs) both had double-doubles in the season-opening win over Grambling; Thompson now has 8 double-doubles in 29 career games
• McKay moved up to 20th all-time in scoring at Auburn with 13 points vs. UL-Lafayette; she now has 1,275 points
• McKay leads Auburn in scoring through five games with 15.2 ppg; she also averages an SEC-leading 6.4 assists
• Senior Emari Jones had a career-high 10 rebounds vs. UL-Lafayette; she is averaging 12.0 points and 6.3 rebounds
• Jones was Auburn's leading scorer for the first time in her career with 16 points at Xavier (La.)
• Auburn is 72-30 in non-conference games under Terri Williams-Flournoy and has won 16 out of their last 17 at home
• The Tigers have won 10 consecutive home non-conference games dating back to the 2016-17 season
• Auburn is 232-55 all-time in the month of December; Coach Flo is 32-9 in December at Auburn
LAST TIME OUT
›› Senior Emari Jones scored 16 points to lead three Tigers in double-figures as Auburn women's basketball defeated Xavier (La.) 77-58 Wednesday night.
›› It was the 250th career head coaching victory for Auburn's Terri Williams-Flournoy, now in her seventh season at Auburn and 15th as a collegiate head coach.
›› Auburn took advantage of 25 turnovers by the Gold Nuggets, turning those into 24 points. The Tigers also used a big early run in the third quarter to break open what had been a nine-point game at the half.
›› Jones' 16 points led all scorers; she also added four rebounds and a pair of assists. Unique Thompson finished with 15 points and a game-high eight rebounds, and Daisa Alexander used a 10-point third quarter to finish with 13 along with six rebounds and five assists. Janiah McKay had a team-leading seven assists along with nine points and five rebounds.
›› The Tigers shot 43.9 percent from the floor and hit a season-high 10 3-pointers – four from Jones – and had 22 assists on their 29 field goals. Auburn also recorded 14 steals; Thompson and Alexander had three apiece.
UP NEXT
›› Auburn travels to Philadelphia, Pa., to face St. Joseph's on Thursday, Dec. 6. Game time is 6 p.m. at Michael J. Hagan Arena.
›› The Tigers' next home game is Sunday, Dec. 16, vs. Samford.
AN AUBURN WIN WOULD...
›› Be Auburn's 12th non-conference win in its last 13 games.
›› Be Auburn's 11th straight home non-conference win.
›› Snap an 8-game losing streak against Big 12 opponents.
›› Give the Tigers a 6-1 start for the third time in the last four seasons.
AUBURN VS. OKLAHOMA
›› This is the first meeting between Auburn and Oklahoma in women's basketball.
›› Oklahoma will be the eighth current member of the Big 12 Auburn has faced. The Tigers are 4-8 all-time against current Big 12 teams, 0-1 this season (Iowa State).
›› Auburn is seeking its first win over a Big 12 opponent since the 2003 WNIT Championship game when the Tigers defeated Baylor 64-63. Since then, Auburn has dropped contests to Kansas State (twice), Iowa State (twice), Texas A&M (twice, before the Aggies joined the SEC) Baylor and West Virginia.
SCOUTING THE SOONERS
›› Oklahoma is 2-4 and comes into Sunday's game having dropped four straight. The Sooners have faced tough competition their last four games, falling to a ranked USF squad, along with UAB, Clemson and New Mexico. OU has wins over Western Kentucky and Northwestern State.
›› The Sooners average 79.8 points/game while giving up 78.8. OU has turned the ball over 23.2 times per game. OU Is also one of the top rebounding teams in the nation, averaging 46.5 boards/game (18th NCAA).
›› Taylor Robertson is the Sooners' leading scorer with 18.3 points/game. Robertson is the nation's No. 2-ranked 3-point shooter, averaging 4.8 treys per game. She has made 34 field goals this season, 29 of them 3-pointers. She is also a perfect 13-of-13 at the free-throw line.
›› Oklahoma was picked to finish fifth in the Big 12.
SCOUTING AUBURN
›› Auburn is 5-1 on the season after advancing to the semifinals of the preseason WNIT. The Tigers have wins over Grambling, Nicholls, New Mexico, UL-Lafayette and Xavier (La.) while dropping a 3-point game at Iowa State. The Tigers are No. 13 in the latest NCAA RPI (as of Nov. 30).
›› Sophomore forward Unique Thompson is a force under the basket and has been key to Auburn's success early this year. She has four double-doubles in six games and leads the Tigers with 14.8 points and 12.8 rebounds. As a freshman last season, she averaged 11.5 ppg and 8.4 rpg with 7 double-doubles, tying the Auburn freshman record.
›› Senior point guard Janiah McKay leads the Tigers in scoring with 15.2 points/game; she also leads the SEC with 6.4 assists/game. McKay is the Tigers' leading returning scorer for the second straight season after averaging 16.6 ppg last season. McKay ranks 20th in career scoring at Auburn with 1,275 points.
›› Junior Daisa Alexander had a breakout sophomore season where she scored 14.2 points/game and led the SEC with 2.8 steals/game, earning a nod to the SEC All-Defensive Team. So far this season, Alexander is averaging 11.2 points/game and had a career-high 8 assists vs. Louisiana-Lafayette.
›› Senior Emari Jones has been one of Auburn's most consistent scorers so far in 2018-19, averaging 12.0 points/game and scoring in double-figures in four of six games so far. In 2017-18, she started 16 games and averaged 5.0 points. She transferred to Auburn prior to the 2016-17 season after a year at Shawnee CC in Ullin, Ill., where she was the nation's leading junior college scorer with 746 points in 2015-16.
›› Redshirt junior Crystal Primm has given Auburn consistent minutes through her first four games on The Plains, averaging 8.8 points and 3.2 rebounds. Primm transferred from Duke following the 2016-17 season.
›› The Tigers' incoming freshman class was ranked No. 13 by ESPN HoopGurlz and included two top-50 prospects in Robyn Benton (#17 overall; #6 guard) and Brooke Moore (#42 overall; #11 guard).
Auburn women host Oklahoma for SEC/Big 12 Challenge
