AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn women's basketball team looks to get back in the win column as the Tigers host St. Joseph's at 7 p.m. CT Sunday night inside Auburn Arena.
It's the annual Food Drive game for Auburn women's basketball; all fans that bring one non-perishable food item will receive a free general admission ticket for the game.
The Tigers (1-2) are looking to bounce back after a back-and-forth game at UAB went the Blazers' way Thursday night, despite standout offensive performances from junior Unique Thompson and senior Daisa Alexander. Thompson had her third double-double in as many games this season with 24 points and 19 rebounds, and Alexander hit the 20-point mark for the second time in three games.
St. Joseph's (2-2) also enters Sunday on a two-game skid after falling to Seton Hall and Penn in its last two contests. Auburn and St. Joseph's played last season in Philadelphia with the Tigers earning an 81-70 victory.
Brit Bowen and Larry DiChiara will have the radio call beginning at 6:45 p.m. CT on WTGZ 93.9 FM in Auburn and online at AuburnTigers.com. You can also hear their call with the in-arena video feed on SEC Network +, available via WatchESPN and the ESPN app.
Sunday's game is part of a day/night doubleheader at Auburn Arena as the Auburn volleyball team hosts South Carolina at 1 p.m. CT. The arena will be cleared between events.
QUICK HITS
• This is the fourth all-time meeting between Auburn and St. Joseph's and the first in Auburn
• Auburn leads the series 2-1 after an 81-70 win in Philadelphia last season
• Auburn is 80-33 in non-conference games under Terri Williams-Flournoy and has won 20 of their last 24
• Under Coach Flo, Auburn is 32-1 when scoring at least 80 points in a game
• Unique Thompson has three double-doubles through three games this season; she has 23 career double-doubles, which ranks 7th in Auburn history
• Going back to the final game of 2018-19, Thompson has double-doubles in four straight games
• As of Nov. 22, Thompson leads the SEC in rebounding (14.0/game) and FG% (.742) and is second in scoring (20.7 ppg)
• Thompson's 599 career rebounds rank 2nd among active SEC players and 23rd in Auburn history
• Daisa Alexander is third in the SEC in scoring (19.7 ppg) and second in steals (3.3/game)
• Alexander's 173 career steals rank second among active SEC players
• Brooke Moore is a perfect 21-for-21 in her career on free throws (11-for-11 this season)
• Lauren Hansen and Annie Hughes have both drawn starts as true freshmen in the first three games of the season
AN AUBURN WIN WOULD...
›› Be Auburn's 15th home non-conference win in its last 16 games.
›› Improve Auburn to 23-6 all-time against Atlantic-10 opponents.
AUBURN-ST. JOE'S SERIES
›› This is the fourth meeting between Auburn and St. Joseph's in women's basketball, the first in Auburn.
›› Auburn leads the series 2-1 with prior meetings in 1990 (Auburn, 74-55), 2007 (SJU, 71-69) and 2018 (Auburn, 81-70).
SCOUTING ST. JOE'S
›› St. Joseph's is 2-2 on the year, earning wins over Columbia and Temple before falling to Seton Hall and Penn.
›› The Hawks were picked to finish 10th in the Atlantic-10 Conference this season.
›› SJU returns eight letterwinners from last season, including two starters. Nine of 13 players on SJU's roster are underclassmen.
›› Freshman Claire Melia has led SJU's offense through four games, averaging 12.3 points per game. SJU averages 55.5 points/game and is holding opponents to 57.5/game.
LAST MEETING: Dec. 6, 2018
Auburn 81, St. Joseph's 70
›› Janiah McKay scored a season-high 21 points, and Auburn held off a furious late rally by St. Joseph's to pick up an 81-70 win on the road.
›› McKay's 21 points led all scorers and she was key in the fourth quarter when she scored nine points and hit 6-of-8 free throws in the closing minutes. But the victory was not without its tense moments as St. Joseph's went on a tear in the second half to nearly erase a 15-point Auburn lead.
›› Auburn shot a season-high 53.7 percent from the floor and was 18-of-23 (78.3%) at the free-throw line. The Hawks, meanwhile, scored a season-high 70 points – 20 points above their season average – while making a season-best 13 3-pointers.
SCOUTING AUBURN
›› The Tigers are among the most inexperienced teams in the country with just two upperclassmen on their 13-player roster. With four freshmen and seven sophomores, Auburn is one of just eight teams nationwide with three or fewer upperclassmen on its roster.
›› Auburn returns three starters (Daisa Alexander, Erin Howard, Unique Thompson) and four other letterwinners from its 2018-19 team that finished 22-10 overall, 9-7 in SEC play, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four seasons.
›› Junior forward Unique Thompson has three double-doubles through three games, averaging 20.7 points and 14.0 rebounds; she is the leading rebounder and second-leading scorer in the Southeastern Conference. She has 23 career double-doubles, which ranks 7th in Auburn history and second among active SEC players.
›› Senior guard Daisa Alexander is the Tigers' second-leading scorer (3rd in SEC) through three games, averaging 19.7 points/game. She scored 22 points in the opener vs. Wofford and 17 vs. Old Dominion while playing point guard, a position she has played sparingly throughout her career. She poured in 20 points at UAB after returning to the shooting guard position. Alexander also ranks second in the SEC in steals (3.3/game).
›› Sophomore Brooke Moore, redshirt sophomore Kiyae' White and freshman Annie Hughes all earned their first collegiate starts vs. Wofford in the season opener. Freshman Lauren Hansen earned her first career start at UAB on Nov. 21 in her second collegiate game.
UP NEXT
›› Auburn begins a season-long five-game road swing with a trip to Estero, Fla., for the Gulf Coast Showcase. The Tigers will face Middle Tennessee in the first round of the tournament at 10 a.m. CT Friday.
›› The Tigers will face either Dayton or Gonzaga in the second round Saturday, then could face Arizona State, Drake, Maine or Purdue on Sunday.