AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn women's basketball team begins a two-game SEC road swing Sunday afternoon when the Tigers travel to Gainesville, Fla., to face the Florida Gators. Game time is noon CT at the O'Connell Center.
The Tigers (12-2, 0-1 SEC) look to bounce back from a 78-69 setback at the hands of No. 10 Tennessee Thursday night where all five Auburn starters scored in double-figures but the Tigers' bench came up empty. Unique Thompson picked up her seventh double-double of the season with 19 points and 12 rebounds, but the Lady Vols pulled away in the last five minutes to snap Auburn's nine-game winning streak.
Sunday's game will be a homecoming for senior guard Janiah McKay. The Gainesville native will play at the O-Dome in front of her hometown fans for the final time as a Tiger. Last season, in Auburn's 84-55 victory over the Gators at Auburn Arena, McKay scored a game-high 25 points and also dished out five assists as the Tigers rallied from an early 16-point deficit.
Florida (4-10, 0-1 SEC) dropped its conference opener at Alabama, 74-67, on Thursday night. The Gators are led by senior Funda Nakkasoglu, the SEC's second-leading scorer and top 3-point shooter, who averages 18.8 points/game and shoots 50 percent (41-of-82) from 3-point range.
Andy Burcham will be courtside with Brit Bowen in the studio for the radio broadcast on WTGZ 93.9 FM and online at AuburnTigers.com beginning at 11:45 a.m. CT. Paul Sunderland and Blair Schaefer will call the action live on SEC Network.
QUICK HITS
• This is the 59th meeting between Auburn and Florida in women's basketball
• Auburn leads the series 37-21, including a 12-11 Auburn edge in games played in Gainesville
• Auburn won the only meeting last season, an 84-55 victory in Auburn on New Year's Eve
• The Tigers have won two straight and four of the last five against Florida
• Gainesville native Janiah McKay will face her hometown team for the fifth time; she is 3-1 against the Gators
• McKay passed Tasha Hamilton for 14th all-time in scoring at Auburn with 10 points vs. Tennessee; she now has 1,403 points
• Sophomore Unique Thompson has recorded seven double-doubles in 14 games, including three straight against New Mexico, Iowa State and UL-Lafayette; she now has 14 in her career, tied for 9th in Auburn history
• Auburn has forced 20 or more turnovers in 11 of 14 games this season, including the last six in a row
• Auburn is receiving votes in this week's Associated Press Top 25; first votes since the poll of Dec. 19, 2016
• At 12-2, 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
• Freshman Erin Howard scored a career-high 11 points in her first collegiate start vs. Tennessee; she replaced senior Emari Jones, who suffered a season-ending injury vs. Alabama State
AN AUBURN WIN WOULD...
›› Be Auburn's third straight win over Florida and fifth in the last six meetings.
›› Give Auburn a 1-1 start in SEC play for the third straight season.
›› Improve Auburn's record to 5-1 in true road games this year.
AUBURN VS. FLORIDA
›› This is the 59th meeting between Auburn and Florida in women's basketball.
›› Auburn is 37-21 all-time against the Gators, including a 12-11 edge in games played in Gainesville.
›› Auburn has won the last two meetings and four of the last five. The Tigers' last trip to Gainesville, an 82-75 win on New Year's Day 2017, was the Tigers' first victory at the O-Dome since 2007.
ONE FINAL RETURN FOR MCKAY
›› Gainesville native Janiah McKay will play in front of her hometown crowd for the last time as the senior makes her third appearance at the O'Connell Center as an Auburn Tiger.
›› McKay has had some of her greatest success at Auburn in games against Florida. In the last meeting, she scored 25 points and had five assists in Auburn's 84-55 win to open SEC play last season.
›› In four previous games against the Gators, McKay has averaged 14.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.
LAST MEETING (Dec. 31, 2017 in Auburn):
Auburn 84, Florida 55
›› Janiah McKay had 25 points, Daisa Alexander had 21, and Auburn outscored Florida 49-19 in the second half to earn an 84-55 win in the SEC opener for both at Auburn Arena.
›› The Tigers overcame a 16-point first-quarter deficit to win their SEC opener for the fifth time in six years, thanks in large part to forcing the Gators into 28 turnovers, converting those into 33 points. Meanwhile, Auburn tied a school record for fewest turnovers in a game with five and held the SEC's top 3-point shooting team to just six treys while tying a season-high with eight 3-pointers of their own.
›› McKay's 25 points were her most against the Gators for the Gainesville native; she also had a game-high five assists. Alexander topped the 20-point mark for the second time this season with a 21-point performance that included three 3-pointers.
›› Auburn matched its record-high for points in a quarter in an SEC game, outscoring the Gators 30-4 in the final period; Florida made its last field goal with 8:19 to play. From the point where Auburn trailed 18-2 in the first quarter, the Tigers outscored Florida 82-37 over the final 33 minutes.
UP NEXT
›› Auburn continues a two-game road swing Thursday night when the Tigers travel across the state to Tuscaloosa to face Alabama. Game time is 7 p.m. CT at Coleman Coliseum.
Auburn women begin SEC road schedule at Florida
