AUBURN, Ala. – The toughest test of the season awaits the Auburn women's basketball team Thursday night when the Tigers travel to Columbia, S.C., to face No. 1 South Carolina. Game time is 6 p.m. CT at Colonial Life Arena.
It will be the 17th time in program history the Tigers have faced the nation's top-ranked team. Auburn's last win over a No. 1-ranked opponent came at the 1990 Final Four when the Tigers topped Louisiana Tech 81-69.
The Tigers (8-13, 2-8 SEC) face a South Carolina team (23-1, 10-0) that has won 17 straight games and defeated Connecticut for the first time Monday night.
The two teams met last season in Auburn; in that game, the Tigers rallied from a 15-point deficit to take a fourth-quarter lead, but the Gamecocks pulled away late for a 73-66 win. Daisa Alexander scored 15 points and Unique Thompson had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Brit Bowen has the radio call on WTGZ 93.9 FM and online at AuburnTigers.com and the Auburn Athletics app. The game can be seen on SEC Network with Courtney Lyle and Carolyn Peck calling the action.
AN AUBURN WIN WOULD...
›› Snap a nine-game losing streak against South Carolina.
›› Be Auburn's first win against an AP No. 1 team since 1990.
›› Be awesome.
AUBURN-SOUTH CAROLINA SERIES
›› South Carolina owns a 24-21 edge over Auburn in the series that dates back to 1980. Carolina leads 12-7 in games played in Columbia.
›› The Gamecocks have won the last nine meetings dating back to the 2012-13 season.
LAST MEETING: Feb. 28, 2019 (at Auburn)
#14 South Carolina 73, Auburn 66
›› Auburn rallied from a 15-point deficit to take a lead in the fourth quarter, but No. 14 South Carolina pulled away late for a 73-66 win at Auburn Arena.
›› The Tigers struggled to make shots early and saw South Carolina jump out to a big early lead. But Auburn cut the deficit to three points at the end of the third quarter, then took a 50-48 lead – its first of the game - with just under seven minutes to play. From there, however, the Gamecocks went on a 12-0 run over the next three minutes to put the game away.
›› Senior Janiah McKay, playing in her final home game at Auburn Arena, led all scorers with 21 points. She also had seven assists and three steals. Daisa Alexander shook off a slow start to finish with 15 points. Crystal Primm scored 14 points, her second-best total in SEC play, and Unique Thompson posted her 12th double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
SCOUTING SOUTH CAROLINA
›› South Carolina is the No. 1 team in the country at 23-1 overall and 10-0 in the SEC.
›› The Gamecocks have the SEC's second-best scoring offense at 82.8 points/game and the top scoring defense, allowing just 56.2/game. They are also the SEC's top rebounding team (47.1/game) and shot-blocking team (8.2/game).
›› Four players average at least 12 points/game for Carolina, led by freshman Aliyah Boston, who averages 13.3 points and 9.1 rebounds. Senior Tyasha Harris leads the SEC with 5.5 assists/game.
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 averages 67.0 points per game but gives up 71.2; the Tigers lead the SEC with 10.9 steals per game, including 11.8/game in conference play.
›› Junior forward Unique Thompson has 19 double-doubles through 21 games, averaging 16.6 points and 12.1 rebounds; she is the leading rebounder and fourth-leading scorer in the Southeastern Conference. She has 39 career double-doubles, which ranks 2nd in Auburn history, first among active SEC players, and is one shy of tying the Auburn career record of 40 (DeWanna Bonner). Thompson scored her 1,000th career point at Kentucky (1/27).
›› Senior guard Daisa Alexander is the Tigers' second-leading scorer, averaging 13.7 points/game. She scored her 1,000th career point against Jacksonville State on Dec. 28, becoming the 34th Tiger to reach that milestone. Alexander also ranks fifth in the SEC in steals (2.2/game). Alexander missed two games with an ankle injury, but returned to the lineup with 17 points at Georgia (1/19) and a career-high 10 rebounds vs. Ole Miss (1/23).
›› 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. Benton made her first career start at Georgia (1/19), scoring 12 points to go along with 5 rebounds and 3 steals. She added a career-high 17 points and 6 rebounds in the Tigers' win over Ole Miss (1/23), and she had 6 steals in each of two games vs. MSU and Vandy. Benton is averaging 2.9 steals, which would rank second in the SEC if she met playing minimums. In SEC play, she leads the league with 3.3 steals/game.
›› 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. She had her best game in SEC play with 18 points against Vanderbilt (2/2).
›› Sophomore Erin Howard scored a career-high 15 points at Alabama Sunday; she has started nine games in SEC play and is averaging 6.7 points and 4.4 rebounds in conference games.
AUBURN VS. NUMBER ONE
›› This will mark Auburn's 17th contest against the nation's top-ranked team (AP poll) in history. The Tigers are 2-14 all-time against teams carrying the No. 1 ranking. It will be the second time for Auburn to face South Carolina when the Gamecocks are atop the national polls.
›› Auburn's last win over a No. 1 team came on March 30, 1990, when the Tigers defeated top-ranked Louisiana Tech in the Final Four in Knoxville, Tenn.
›› The last meeting with a No. 1 team was also at Colonial Life Arena against South Carolina on Jan. 2, 2015; the Gamecocks won 77-58. Auburn also faced Dawn Staley as a player in a matchup with No. 1 Virginia on Jan. 5, 1992, in Auburn; UVA won 77-70.
UP NEXT
›› The Tigers are back home for their next two games, beginning at 4 p.m. Sunday as LSU visits Auburn Arena.