AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn women's basketball team hits the road for the third time in Southeastern Conference play Thursday night when the Tigers travel to Nashville to face Vanderbilt. Game time is set for 7 p.m. CT at Memorial Gym.
The Tigers (14-3, 2-2 SEC), who are receiving votes in this week's Associated Press poll, are coming off a tough loss to No. 7 Mississippi State on Monday night at home. All three Auburn losses so far this season have come against teams currently ranked in the top 20 in both polls – No. 7/6 Mississippi State, No. 18/19 Iowa State and No. 20/17 Tennessee.
Junior Daisa Alexander looks to continue her hot start to league play as she has led the Tigers in scoring in each of the last three games. Alexander is averaging 18.8 points per game in conference play, fourth-best in the SEC, and she leads the league with 3.8 steals per conference game.
Auburn also seeks to continue its longest active winning streak in SEC play. Since dropping 21 games in a row to Vanderbilt from 2001-14, the Tigers have won five straight over the Commodores, including three in a row at Memorial Gym.
Vanderbilt (5-12, 0-4) is looking for their first conference win of the season. The Commodores dropped an 83-62 decision at Arkansas their last time out but fought Georgia and Texas A&M to the wire in their last two home games.
Andy Burcham and Brit Bowen will have the radio call on WTGZ 93.9 FM beginning at 6:45 p.m. CT; the broadcast will also be available on AuburnTigers.com and the official Auburn Tigers mobile app. The game can also be seen on SEC Network +, available via WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app.
QUICK HITS
• This is the 50th meeting between Auburn and Vanderbilt in women's basketball
• Vanderbilt leads the all-time series 28-21, but Auburn has won the last five meetings
• Auburn held on for a 63-60 win last season at home in the last meeting between the teams
• Junior Daisa Alexander has averaged 20.6 points over the last three games, leading Auburn in scoring in all three
• Junior Crystal Primm had a career-high 7 steals vs. Mississippi State, tied for the most by an SEC player this season and the most in a conference game so far in 2019
• Auburn has forced 20 or more turnovers in 14 of 17 games this season, including the last nine in a row
• The Tigers are averaging 25.9 points per game off opponent turnovers
• Auburn leads the SEC and ranks 5th in the NCAA in steals per game (12.7)
AN AUBURN WIN WOULD...
›› Be Auburn's 15th victory of the year, guaranteeing a winning record in the regular season and surpassing the 2017-18 season win total.
›› Give Auburn a six-game winning streak against Vanderbilt, dating back to 2014.
›› Be Auburn's third straight SEC road win - the first time to accomplish that feat since 2015-16 (wins at LSU, Alabama and Ole Miss).
›› Give Auburn a six-game road winning streak, the longest since Auburn won nine straight road games during the 2008-09 season.
AUBURN VS. VANDERBILT
›› This is the 50th meeting between Auburn and Vanderbilt in women's basketball.
›› Vanderbilt owns a 28-21 edge in the series that dates back to 1977-78, but the Tigers have won the last five meetings. Prior to Auburn's win in Nashville in 2014, Vanderbilt had won 21 in a row, dating back to the 2001 season.
LAST MEETING (Feb. 12, 2018, in Auburn):
Auburn 63, Vanderbilt 60
›› Auburn built a big early lead and held off a second-half surge by Vanderbilt to earn a 63-60 win in SEC women's basketball action at Auburn Arena.
›› The Tigers earned their second straight SEC victory and improved to 10-2 at home this season, but not without some anxious moments as Vanderbilt whittled down what had been a 20-point lead to just two in the waning moments of the game. But Daisa Alexander scored five points in the final 52 seconds, including a clutch jumper with 19 seconds to play, and forced a turnover with less than five seconds left as Vanderbilt was driving for the tying bucket.
›› Three players finished in double-figures for Auburn. Unique Thompson scored a game-high 16 points and, for the second straight game, missed a double-double by one rebound. Alexander added 12 points, including seven in the fourth quarter, and Janiah McKay finished with 11 and a team-leading five assists.
UP NEXT
›› After a Sunday off, the Tigers return to action Thursday, Jan. 24, at home against Texas A&M in the annual We Back Pat game. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m. CT with the broadcast on SEC Network.
Auburn women look to bounce back at Vanderbilt
