AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn women's basketball team will host its annual Pink Game Sunday as rival Alabama visits Auburn Arena. Game time is set for 3 p.m. CT.
Gates will open at 1:30 p.m., and Auburn coaches will participate in the second Chalk Talk of the season at 2 p.m. in the Courtside Lounge. In addition, the first 750 fans will receive a free pink t-shirt, and the first 500 fans can pick up a pink shaker. Fans are encouraged to wear pink. Tickets are available at AUBTix.com or by visiting the Auburn Arena ticket office on gameday.
Fans are encouraged to arrive early as multiple athletic events on campus will affect parking availability. The Auburn Arena lot is open for all persons holding game tickets or working credentials. Additional parking is available in the Campus Safety lot at the corner of Magnolia & Donahue, as well as the Coliseum lot and Athletics Complex parking deck.
The Tigers (18-7, 6-6 SEC) are looking for a season sweep of the Crimson Tide (11-13, 3-8) after a 66-56 win in Tuscaloosa on Jan. 10. In that game, junior Daisa Alexander scored 22 points, matching a season-high, and the Tigers forced 25 Alabama turnovers that turned into 28 points.
Auburn looks to bounce back after falling on the road for just the second time in SEC play, dropping a 73-62 decision at Tennessee Thursday night. Alexander again scored 22 points and Unique Thompson recorded her 11th double-double of the season as the Tigers were unable to hold onto a five-point halftime lead in Knoxville.
Andy Burcham, Larry DiChiara and Brit Bowen will have the radio broadcast beginning at 2:45 p.m. CT on WTGZ 93.9 FM and online at AuburnTigers.com and the Auburn Athletics app. The game can also be seen on SEC Network with Roy Philpott and Brooke Weisbrod calling the action.
QUICK HITS
• This is the 90th meeting between Auburn and Alabama in women's basketball
• Auburn leads the all-time series 51-38, including a 30-10 advantage in games played at Auburn
• The Tigers won the season's previous meeting on Jan. 10 in Tuscaloosa 66-56
• Auburn leads the SEC and ranks 5th in the NCAA in steals per game (12.4)
• Auburn has forced 20 or more turnovers in 18 of 25 games this season
• The Tigers are averaging 23.7 points per game off opponent turnovers
• 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 11 double-doubles in 25 games, including each of the last two games at Arkansas and Tennessee; she now has 18 in her career, 8th-most in Auburn history
• Senior Janiah McKay became Auburn's 12th all-time player to reach the 1,500-point plateau; she is now 11th in scoring in Auburn history with 1,555 points after passing Tyrese Tanner (1,515) vs. Georgia
• Junior Daisa Alexander is Auburn's leading scorer in SEC play, averaging 13.9 points in league games (17.0 in road games)
AN AUBURN WIN WOULD...
›› Be Auburn's 19th win of the year, the highest regular-season total since 2008-09 (27).
›› Give Auburn a season sweep over Alabama for the third time in the last six years.
AUBURN VS. ALABAMA
›› This is the 90th meeting between Auburn and Alabama in women's basketball. It is the second-most played women's basketball series in the SEC, behind only Ole Miss-Mississippi State.
›› Auburn is 51-38 all-time against Alabama, including a 30-10 edge in Auburn and a 6-2 advantage at Auburn Arena.
›› Auburn has won 6 of the last 8 and 9 of the last 12 meetings between the teams, dating back to 2013. Auburn has won 6 of the last 7 meetings at home.
LAST MEETING (Jan. 10, 2019 in Tuscaloosa):
Auburn 66, Alabama 56
›› Daisa Alexander scored 22 points and had four steals as Auburn used a strong defensive effort to earn a 66-56 win over Alabama Thursday night at Coleman Coliseum.
›› The Tigers (14-2, 2-1 SEC) scored 42 of their 66 points in the paint, hitting 25-of-38 two-point shots (65.7%). Auburn also forced Alabama (9-6, 1-2) into 25 turnovers that turned into 28 Auburn points.
›› Alexander scored 22 points for the second straight game, matching her season-high and coming within three points of a career high. Unique Thompson added 12 points along with a game-high nine rebounds, and Crystal Primm scored 10. Nine of the 10 Auburn players that saw playing time had at least one steal; Alexander's four swipes led the way while freshman Erin Howard had three steals along with a team-best five assists. Janiah McKay added eight points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals, and senior Erica Sanders hit all three shots she took for a six-point night along with a pair of steals.
›› For the game, Auburn shot 55.8 percent from the floor, their second-best shooting night of the season. The Tigers got to the rim repeatedly in the fourth quarter, scoring 16 of their 17 fourth-quarter points in the paint as the high-low play worked well for Auburn.
UP NEXT
›› After an off-day this Thursday, the Tigers are back at Auburn Arena next Sunday afternoon, Feb. 24, to host Missouri. Game time is 2 p.m. CT.