AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn women's basketball team will wrap up the non-conference portion of the 2019-20 season Saturday afternoon when the Tigers host Jacksonville State at 2 p.m. CT at Auburn Arena.
The Tigers (5-5) are coming off a long layoff for the holiday break, having not played since Dec. 15, a 74-56 home victory over Bethune-Cookman. In that game, five Tigers scored in double-figures and Auburn overcame a tenacious press by the Wildcats in the second half to get back to .500 on the season.
Saturday's game will feature the debut of the War Eagle Lights feature for women's basketball. Fans are encouraged to download the official Auburn Tigers app and take part in the intro video when the pregame clock hits 0:00.
Jacksonville State (4-6) is also playing its final non-conference game of the year. The Gamecocks are coming off a 55-40 loss to Jacksonville University in its last game on Dec. 20. Auburn is 14-1 all-time against Jacksonville State; this is the first meeting between the teams since 2013.
Brit Bowen and Larry DiChiara will call the action beginning with the pregame show at 1:45 p.m. CT on WTGZ 93.9 FM and online at AuburnTigers.com and the official Auburn Tigers app. Fans can watch the game via the video board feed and the Auburn radio call on SEC Network +, available at WatchESPN and the ESPN app.
QUICK HITS
• Daisa Alexander is 8 points away from 1,000 in her career
• This is the 16th meeting between Auburn and Jacksonville State in women's basketball
• The Tigers are 14-1 all-time against the Gamecocks
• Unique Thompson has 10 double-doubles in 10 games this year, which leads the NCAA; she has 30 career double-doubles, which ranks 3rd in Auburn history
• Thompson is the only player in NCAA Division I with a double-double in every game her team has played this year
• Going back to the final game of 2018-19, Thompson has double-doubles in 11 straight games, the second-longest streak in program history (Lauretta Freeman, 18 in 1992-93)
AN AUBURN WIN WOULD...
›› Give Auburn a winning non-conference record at 6-5.
›› Improve Auburn's home record to 4-1.
›› Be Auburn's fifth straight win over JSU.
AUBURN-JACKSONVILLE STATE SERIES
›› This is the 16th meeting between Auburn and Jacksonville State in women's basketball. The Tigers own a 14-1 advantage over the Gamecocks, including an 11-0 edge in Auburn.
SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE STATE
›› Jacksonville State enters its final non-conference game at 4-6 on the season. The Gamecocks dropped their last game 55-40 to Jacksonville University on Dec. 20.
›› The Gamecocks average 65.0 points/game while giving up 67.3/game.
›› Destiney Elliott leads JSU with 13.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Taylor Hawks adds 12.5 points per game.
›› Jacksonville State was picked to finish fifth in the OVC by the league's coaches. The Gamecocks went 15-15 overall, 7-6 OVC, and finished seventh in the league last season.
SCOUTING AUBURN
›› Junior forward Unique Thompson has 10 double-doubles through 10 games, averaging 18.8 points and 12.4 rebounds; she is the leading rebounder and fourth-leading scorer in the Southeastern Conference. She has 30 career double-doubles, which ranks 3rd in Auburn history and second among active SEC players.
›› Thompson scored a career-high 31 points and pulled down 15 rebounds at TCU on Dec. 7; it was Auburn's first 30-15 game since 2008 (DeWanna Bonner, 30 pts/16 rebs vs. George Washington).
›› Senior guard Daisa Alexander is the Tigers' second-leading scorer through 10 games, averaging 15.0 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 and has four games this year with 20+ points. Alexander also ranks fifth in the SEC in steals (2.4/game).
›› Sophomore Brooke Moore, redshirt sophomore Kiyae' White and freshman Annie Hughes all earned their first collegiate starts vs. Wofford in the season opener. Moore scored 15 points in each of the first two games, Hughes hit double-digits in the first two games, and White scored a career-high 12 in the win over St. Joseph's.
›› Freshman Lauren Hansen earned her first career start at UAB on Nov. 21 in her second collegiate game. Hansen followed that up with an 18-point, 4-steal performance in a win over St. Joseph's, then a 24-point, 4-assist day against Drake where she made seven 3-pointers.
›› Sophomore Robyn Benton made her season debut vs. Bethune-Cookman on Dec. 15, scoring 10 points along with two blocks. She missed the season's first nine games with injury.
UP NEXT
›› Southeastern Conference play begins as Auburn travels to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt on Thursday, Jan. 2. Game time is 7:30 p.m. CT at Memorial Gym; SEC Network will have whiparound coverage of all seven league games that night.