AUBURN, Ala. – Coming off a win over Vanderbilt and an open date in SEC play, the Auburn women's basketball team makes the cross-state trek to Tuscaloosa Sunday to take on Alabama. Game time is 2 p.m. CT at Coleman Coliseum.
The Tigers (8-12, 2-7 SEC) have been playing their best basketball of the season lately, pushing a pair of top-15 teams to the brink on the road before breaking through with a 70-62 win over Vanderbilt last Sunday at home.
Junior forward Unique Thompson is within reach of a major milestone this week. With an NCAA-leading 19 double-doubles this season, she enters the week with 39 in her career, second-most in Auburn history and one shy of tying DeWanna Bonner's school record of 40. The Theodore, Ala., native is averaging 17.0 points and 12.2 rebounds this season, leading the SEC and ranking third nationally in rebounds.
Alabama (13-10, 3-7) has split its last four games, earning wins over Vanderbilt and Ole Miss while dropping road games at Arkansas and Kentucky. The Crimson Tide took advantage of a long cold spell by Auburn in the teams' earlier meeting on Jan. 12 to pull away for a 75-48 win at Auburn Arena.
Brit Bowen has the radio call beginning at 1:45 p.m. CT on WTGZ 93.9 FM and online at AuburnTigers.com and the Auburn Athletics mobile app. The game will be nationally televised on SEC Network with Sam Gore and Renee Montgomery calling the action.
AN AUBURN WIN WOULD...
›› Avenge the Tigers' home loss to Alabama on Jan. 12.
›› Be Auburn's first road win in SEC play this year.
›› Give Auburn a 4th win in the last five meetings with Alabama.
AUBURN-ALABAMA SERIES
›› This is the 93rd meeting between Auburn and Alabama in women's basketball, the first of two this season. It is the second-most played women's basketball series in the SEC, behind only Ole Miss-Mississippi State.
›› Auburn is 53-39 all-time against Alabama, but the Tide own a 23-18 advantage in Tuscaloosa. The TIgers have won two of the last three games at Coleman Coliseum.
›› The Tigers have won 8 of the last 11 and 11 of the last 15 meetings between the teams, dating back to 2013.
LAST MEETING: Jan. 12, 2020 (at Auburn)
Alabama 78, Auburn 45
›› Unique Thompson recorded her 14th double-double of the season, but Alabama took advantage of a long cold stretch for Auburn as the Tigers fell 75-48 Sunday afternoon at Auburn Arena.
›› The Tigers led by six at the end of one quarter and were tied 26-26 with just over two minutes to play in the second. But Auburn went scoreless over the next nine-plus minutes as Alabama used a 25-0 run to put the game out of reach.
›› Thompson led Auburn with 16 points and 14 rebounds to give her 14 double-doubles in 15 games this year. But she was Auburn's only player in double-figures. Robyn Benton added nine points and three steals off the bench, and Lauren Hansen had four assists.
›› The Tigers took 15 more shots than Alabama but made nine fewer. Alabama shot 51.9 percent (28-54) from the field, including 11-of-29 from 3-point range (37.9%) while Auburn was 19-of-69 from the field (27.5%) and 6-26 (23.1%) on 3-pointers. Alabama had one more rebound than Auburn, 39-38, and while Auburn forced 17 Alabama turnovers, the Tigers turned those into only 10 points.
SCOUTING ALABAMA
›› Alabama is 13-10 overall and 3-7 in SEC play. The Crimson Tide have wins over Auburn, Vanderbilt and Ole Miss to their credit in SEC play.
›› The Tide averages 72.3 points/game while giving up 63.9; Bama averages 6.9 made 3-pointers per game.
›› Jordan Lewis leads Alabama with 12.6 points/game; Jasmine Walker is the Tide's leading rebounder (6.9/game) and 3-point shooter (2.0/game).
SCOUTING AUBURN
›› Auburn averages 67.1 points per game but gives up 71.3; the Tigers lead the SEC with 11.2 steals per game, including 12.4/game in conference play.
›› Junior forward Unique Thompson has 19 double-doubles through 20 games, averaging 17.0 points and 12.2 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 13.9 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 (2.3/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.
›› 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 the last two games vs. MSU and Vandy. Benton is averaging 3.1 steals, which would lead the SEC if she met playing minimums.
›› 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).
UP NEXT
›› The Tigers face their toughest test of the season Thursday night when Auburn travels to Columbia, S.C., to face No. 1 South Carolina. Game time is 6 p.m. CT at Colonial Life Arena.