AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn will play its final home women's basketball game of the season Thursday night when the Tigers play host to No. 14 South Carolina. Game time is 6 p.m. CT at Auburn Arena.
The Tigers (20-7, 8-6 SEC) secured both a 20-win season and at least a .500 conference record on Sunday with a hard-fought 58-54 win over No. 25 Missouri, Auburn's first win over a ranked foe this season. The victory avenged an earlier loss this season and snapped a three-game skid against Mizzou.
Junior Daisa Alexander looks to stay hot down the stretch in SEC play. She has led the Tigers in scoring in each of the last four games and is leading the team in SEC play with 14.9 points per game. She has also matched her career-high with four 3-pointers in each of the last three contests.
South Carolina (20-7, 12-2 SEC) is still in the hunt for a share of the SEC title, just one game back of Mississippi State for the league lead. The Gamecocks are coming off an 82-67 win at Tennessee on Sunday.
Andy Burcham, Larry DiChiara and J.J. Jackson will have the radio broadcast of Thursday's game beginning at 5:45 p.m. CT on WTGZ 93.9 FM; the game can also be heard on AuburnTigers.com and the Auburn Athletics mobile app. Thursday's game can also be seen on SEC Network + with Brad Law and Joe Ciampi calling the action.
QUICK HITS
• This is the 45th meeting between Auburn and South Carolina in women's basketball
• South Carolina leads the series 23-21, but Auburn owns a 12-9 advantage in games played in Auburn
• South Carolina won last year's meeting in Columbia 71-63
• Auburn's win over #25 Missouri on Feb. 24 was Auburn's first over a ranked opponent since 2016, snapping a 21-game skid against top-25 foes
• The win over Missouri provided Auburn's 20th win of the season, securing the 22nd 20-win season in program history and the second under Terri Williams-Flournoy
• Auburn has 20 regular-season wins for the first time since 2009
• Auburn leads the SEC and ranks 5th in the NCAA in steals per game (12.3)
• Auburn has forced 20 or more turnovers in 19 of 27 games this season
• The Tigers are averaging 23.5 points per game off opponent turnovers
AN AUBURN WIN WOULD...
›› Give Auburn its 21st win of the season, which would be the most under Terri Williams-Flournoy.
›› Secure a winning record in SEC play for the first time since 2009.
›› Be Auburn's second straight win over a top-25 opponent.
›› Snap an eight-game skid against South Carolina that dates back to 2013.
AUBURN VS. SOUTH CAROLINA
›› South Carolina owns a 23-21 edge over Auburn in the series that dates back to 1980. Auburn leads 12-9 in games played at Auburn.
›› The Gamecocks have won the last eight meetings dating back to the 2012-13 season.
LAST MEETING (Jan. 21, 2018 in Columbia, S.C.):
#9 South Carolina 71, Auburn 63
›› Junior Janiah McKay scored 27 points and Auburn clawed back from a big early deficit, but the Tigers fell short to No. 9 South Carolina 71-63 in front of 12,011 fans at Colonial Life Arena.
›› The Tigers found themselves trailing by as many as 22 points early in the second quarter but continued to chip away throughout the remainder of the game, pulling as close as six points midway through the fourth quarter. But the Gamecocks held on despite being outscored 53-41 over the final three periods.
›› McKay's 27 points led all scorers on the night and were two shy of a career-high. She was 8-of-18 from the field and 11-of-13 from the free-throw line.
›› Sophomore Daisa Alexander chipped in 17 points with seven coming in the fourth quarter. She was a perfect 5-for-5 at the free throw line. Freshman Unique Thompson led the Tigers with 11 rebounds, and senior Jazmine Jones added 8 points and 5 rebounds.
›› Auburn found itself in a deep hole after the first quarter as Carolina jumped out to a 30-10 lead. But two runs by Auburn – a 10-0 run followed by a 9-0 run late in the quarter – reduced the Gamecock lead to just seven points at 55-48 after three quarters. The Tigers would get as close as six points at 62-56 on a McKay layup with 5:35 to play. But Carolina would go on a 6-0 run over the next three minutes to put the game out of reach.
UP NEXT
›› Auburn wraps up the 2018-19 regular season on Sunday, March 3, when the Tigers travel to LSU. Game time is 2 p.m. at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, La.