AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn women's basketball team plays its second-to-last road game of the season Thursday night when the Tigers travel to Knoxville, Tenn., to take on the Tennessee Lady Vols. Game time is 6 p.m. CT at Thompson-Boling Arena.
The Tigers (18-6, 6-5 SEC) are one road win away from setting a new program record for the most SEC road victories. At 5-1 in league play on the road, Auburn has matched the previous record of five SEC road wins, set in 1988-89 (5-0) and 2008-09 (5-2).
Auburn is coming off a thrilling 75-72 victory on the road at Arkansas Sunday that saw the Razorbacks fight back from a 17-point deficit, yet Auburn was able to secure the victory with a pair of late defensive stops and clutch free throws in the final minutes. Daisa Alexander, who is averaging 16.2 points in road SEC games, led the Tigers with 18 points. Unique Thompson picked up her 10th double-double of the season and 17th of her career.
Tennessee (15-8, 4-6) fell on the road at No. 6 Mississippi State Sunday in their last game. The Lady Vols won the season's previous meeting with Auburn 78-69 on Jan. 3 at Auburn Arena.
Andy Burcham will have the radio call of Thursday's game beginning at 5:45 p.m. CT on WTGZ 93.9 FM, online at AuburnTigers.com and on the Auburn Athletics app on mobile devices. The game can also be seen on SEC Network +, available at WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app.
QUICK HITS
• This is the 56th meeting between Auburn and Tennessee in women's basketball
• Tennessee leads the all-time series 44-11, including a 21-2 advantage in games played in Knoxville
• The Lady Vols won an earlier meeting this season 78-69 in Auburn on Jan. 3
• Auburn leads the SEC and ranks 5th in the NCAA in steals per game (12.6)
• Auburn has forced 20 or more turnovers in 18 of 24 games this season
• The Tigers are averaging 24.2 points per game off opponent turnovers
• Auburn has played more road + neutral games than anyone else in the SEC; the Tigers are 9-2 in true road games and 11-2 in all games away from Auburn Arena
• Auburn's 5 SEC road wins are tied for the most in program history - Auburn was 5-0 on the road in 1988-89 and 5-2 in 2008-09
• With 18 wins already, Auburn has matched the best total of regular-season wins under Terri Williams-Flournoy (also won 18 regular-season games in 2015-16)
• Sophomore Unique Thompson has recorded 10 double-doubles in 24 games, including three straight against New Mexico, Iowa State and UL-Lafayette; she now has 17 in her career, 8th-most in Auburn history
AN AUBURN WIN WOULD...
›› Be Auburn's 19th win of the year, the highest regular-season total since 2008-09 (27).
›› Give Auburn its sixth road win in SEC play,setting a new school record for conference road wins (previous: 5 in 1988-89 and 2008-09).
›› Be Auburn's first win in Knoxville since 1988 and third all-time.
AUBURN VS. TENNESSEE
›› This is the 56th meeting between Auburn and Tennessee, the second of two regular-season meetings this season. Tennessee won the season's first meeting 78-69 on Jan. 3 in Auburn.
›› Tennessee is 44-11 all-time against Auburn and has won 11 of the last 12 meetings. The Lady Vols pulled away in the final two minutes for a 70-59 win last season in Knoxville.
LAST MEETING (Jan. 3, 2019 in Auburn):
#10 Tennessee 78, Auburn 69
›› Auburn sophomore Unique Thompson picked up her seventh double-double of the season, but the Tigers came up short in a 78-69 loss to No. 10 Tennessee Thursday night in the SEC opener for both teams at Auburn Arena.
›› The Tigers (12-2, 0-1 SEC) had trouble getting shots to fall, despite having 20 more attempts from the floor than the Lady Vols (12-1, 1-0). Meanwhile, Tennessee shot 54 percent from the field and pulled away late to secure the win.
›› Thompson finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds along with two assists, two steals and a block in 36 minutes of action. All five Auburn starters scored in double figures. Crystal Primm had 16 points, Daisa Alexander added 13, and Janiah McKay had 10. Freshman Erin Howard, making her first career start in place of injured senior Emari Jones, scored a career-high 11 points, including three 3-pointers, to go along with four rebounds.
›› Auburn forced Tennessee into 23 turnovers but was only able to convert those into 20 points. Neither bench was effective – Auburn's bench was held scoreless while the Lady Vols got just three points from their reserves. The Lady Vols also outrebounded Auburn 43-29.
UP NEXT
›› Auburn begins a three-game home stand Sunday afternoon as rival Alabama visits Auburn Arena. Game time is 3 p.m. CT with the broadcast on SEC Network; it will be Auburn's "Pink Game" for breast cancer awareness, and fans are encouraged to wear pink.