AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn women's basketball team faces its biggest challenge of the season Thursday night as No. 10 Tennessee visits Auburn Arena to open Southeastern Conference play. Game time is 6 p.m. CT.
The first 500 fans through the doors at Thursday's game will receive a free "Team of Excellence" rally towel. Tickets are available at AUBTix.com or at the Auburn Arena box office on game day.
Auburn (12-1) carries a nine-game winning streak into SEC play after finishing off a perfect month of December for the second straight season. Auburn is averaging 82.0 points per game, third-best in the SEC and 20th in the country, and has topped the 80-point mark in six of its last seven games.
The Tigers' bench has been a major factor in the last two games, averaging 45.0 points against Elon and Alabama State. Freshman Brooke Moore was named SEC Player of the Week last week after a 23-point effort off the bench against Alabama State, and the Tigers' bench contributed 11 of the school-record 14 3-pointers against Elon on Dec. 22.
Tennessee (11-1) enters SEC play at No. 10 in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches' polls. The Lady Vols' only blemish was a loss to Stanford, currently ranked No. 6 in the AP poll. The teams met twice last year with both games coming down to the wire. In Knoxville on Jan. 4, it was a tie game with less than two minutes to play before Tennessee pulled away in the closing seconds to win 70-59. In the SEC Tournament on March 1, Tennessee banked in a 3-pointer with less than a second to play to pull off a 64-61 win, ending the Tigers' season.
Andy Burcham, Larry DiChiara and J.J. Jackson will have the radio call on WTGZ 93.9 FM beginning at 5:45 p.m. CT. Brad Law and Joe Ciampi will call the action on SEC Network +; the broadcast is available via WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app.
JONES OUT FOR SEASON
Auburn senior guard Emari Jones will miss the rest of the 2018-19 season after suffering a knee injury vs. Alabama State on Dec. 29. The 6-2 guard from Chicago, Ill., was averaging 10.7 points and 4.8 rebounds before her injury.
"That's a huge loss," Auburn head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. "Not just for the team, but for Emari. She's a senior, she's worked really hard to improve and be a better player this year. So we're really sad about that situation. But our team has embraced it, and they're playing the rest of the season for Emari. She was their leader. And from here, we just have to move on."
Freshman Erin Howard will get her first collegiate start against Tennessee. She has averaged 3.1 points and 2.4 rebounds while playing 14.8 minutes per game off the bench. Howard has recorded a career-high seven rebounds in each of her last two games and hit Auburn's record-setting 14th 3-pointer against Elon on Dec. 22.
QUICK HITS
• This is the 55th meeting between Auburn and Tennessee in women's basketball
• Tennessee leads the all-time series 43-11, including a 13-5 edge in games played in Auburn
• Tennessee won both meetings last year - a 70-59 win in Knoxville and a 64-61 victory in the SEC Tournament
• Auburn is receiving votes in this week's Associated Press Top 25; first votes since the poll of Dec. 19, 2016
• At 12-1, Auburn is off to its best start since the 2008-09 season, when the Tigers won their first 20 games en route to an SEC Championship
• Auburn's 9-game winning streak is the longest under Coach Flo
• The Tigers' average margin of victory during this nine-game win streak is 20.1 points
• Auburn is 19-20 all-time in SEC openers but has won four straight and five out of six under Terri Williams-Flournoy
• The Tigers went undefeated in December for the second straight season
• Auburn shot 63.3% (38-of-60) from the field in a 96-44 win at Elon on Dec. 22; it was Auburn's best shooting day since hitting 64.2% (34-of-53) in a 91-62 win at UAB on Nov. 26, 2008
• Auburn broke the school record for 3-pointers for the second time in 20 days on Dec. 22, hitting 14 treys in a 96-44 win at Elon; 11 of the 14 Auburn 3-pointers were made by freshmen
• Auburn's 96 points at Elon on Dec. 22 were its most in a true road game since a 96-71 win at UAB on Dec. 14, 1999
• Under Coach Flo, Auburn is 6-0 when scoring at least 90 points and 31-1 when scoring at least 80 points
• Auburn has topped the 80-point mark eight times in 13 games this season; the Tigers had scored 80+ points eight times in the previous 83 games dating back to the 2015-16 season
IN THE RANKINGS
›› Auburn is receiving votes in the AP Top 25 this week for the first time since Dec. 19, 2016.
›› Tennessee is ranked No. 10 in both the AP and Coaches' polls.
AN AUBURN WIN WOULD...
›› Give the Tigers a 13-1 start, their best of the Coach Flo era and the best since Auburn won its first 20 games to open the 2008-09 season.
›› Extend the Tigers' winning streak to 10 games, which would be the longest under Coach Flo.
›› Give Auburn two straight home victories against Tennessee for the first time since 1989/1991.
›› Be Auburn's fifth straight win in an SEC opener.
›› Be Auburn's first win over a top-10 opponent in exactly three years; the last was a 66-61 win over No. 7 Kentucky on Jan. 3, 2016.
›› Snap a 16-game skid against ranked opponents.
AUBURN VS. TENNESSEE
›› This is the 55th meeting between Auburn and Tennessee, the first of two regular-season meetings this season.
›› Tennessee is 43-11 all-time against Auburn and has won 10 of the last 11 meetings. The Tigers won the last meeting in Auburn, a 79-61 victory on Jan. 19, 2017.
›› The teams met twice last year with Tennessee winning both; including a 64-61 win in the SEC Tournament.
UP NEXT
›› Auburn hits the road for its next two games, beginning with a trip to Gainesville, Fla., to face the Florida Gators on Sunday. Game time is noon CT at the O'Connell Center; the game will be televised by SEC Network.
Auburn hosts No. 10 Tennessee to open SEC play Thursday
