AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn women's basketball team looks to build on a strong start to the 2020-21 season when the Tigers host Samford at 6 p.m. CT Saturday at Auburn Arena.
The game time, originally set for noon CT, was pushed back to a 6 p.m. start, it was announced Friday. Limited general admission tickets are available at AUBTix.com; tickets are $6 and general admission in the 100 level of the arena.
All persons inside Auburn Arena must wear a face covering at all times and maintain appropriate social distancing. Visit the Women's Basketball Gameday page at AuburnTigers.com for more information.
Auburn is 1-0 after an 82-41 win over USC Upstate Wednesday night to open the 2020-21 season. Samford enters Saturday's contest at 0-1 after dropping an 83-68 decision at Alabama Wednesday.
For the latest on Auburn women's basketball, follow @AuburnWBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
ON THE AIR
›› Brit Bowen and Larry DiChiara have the radio call, beginning at 5:45 p.m. CT on WTGZ 95.9 FM and online at AuburnTigers.com and the official Auburn Tigers app.
›› Lyn Rollins and Mimi Hill will call the action on SEC Network +, available via WatchESPN.com or the ESPN app.
LAST TIME OUT
›› The new-look Auburn women's basketball team showcased its depth, speed and balance in their season-opener, running away with an 82-41 win over USC Upstate Wednesday night at Auburn Arena.
›› All 14 players dressed on the roster saw action for the Tigers (1-0), 11 of the 14 found the scoresheet, and 12 players grabbed at least one rebound. Auburn's trademark defense was back, too, turning 25 USC Upstate (0-1) turnovers into 21 points.
›› Senior Unique Thompson and redshirt sophomore Jala Jordan shared the team lead with 16 points apiece. Thompson also pulled down seven rebounds to lead the Tigers, but the Tigers' 45 rebounds were spread amongst 13 players as Auburn did a great job crashing the boards.
›› Auburn's newcomers made an immediate impact. Along with Jordan's 16 points and three rebounds, freshman Romi Levy turned some heads with eight points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Sophomore transfer Honesty Scott-Grayson finished with seven points and two assists in her Auburn debut. And fellow newcomers Keya Patton, Kira Lowery, Aicha Coulibaly, Alaina Rice and Alycia Reese all found their way onto the scoresheet. Rice was the team's assist leader with five on the night, and Coulibaly had Auburn's only blocked shot.
AN AUBURN WIN WOULD...
›› Give the Tigers a 2-0 start for the sixth time in the last eight seasons.
›› Improve Auburn's record to 4-0 against Samford and 35-13 against current members of the SoCon.
›› Be Auburn's 19th win in its last 20 home non-conference games.
›› Improve Auburn to 258-66 against in-state opponents.
AUBURN-SAMFORD SERIES
›› This is the fourth meeting between Auburn and Samford in women's basketball. Auburn has won all three prior meetings, all of which have taken place at Auburn Arena.
SCOUTING SAMFORD
›› Samford returns two starters and six letterwinners from its 2020 Southern Conference championship team. The Bulldogs dropped their season opener at Alabama 83-68 on Wednesday.
›› The Bulldogs were picked to finish third in the SoCon in a vote of the league's coaches and second by the media.
›› Senior Natalie Armstrong was a preseason all-SoCon selection. She had a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds against Alabama Wednesday. Armstrong was Samford's leading scorer last season, averaging 14.5 points/game. She also had a double-double in the last meeting between Auburn and Samford with 10 points and 16 rebounds.
›› Samford senior guard Shauntai Battle is the daughter of former Auburn men's basketball player Ronnie Battle, an All-SEC guard for the Tigers from 1990-93.
SCOUTING AUBURN
›› With 10 newcomers and just five returning letterwinners (one returning starter), there are plenty of new faces on the Auburn bench as the 2020-21 season begins.
›› Senior forward Unique Thompson, an honorable-mention All-American and first-team All-SEC performer a year ago, is Auburn's lone returning starter. She averaged a double-double for the second straight year with 16.2 points and 11.4 rebounds, leading Auburn in both categories. Thompson is also the nation's leading returner in double-doubles with 22 last season. Thompson had 16 points and 7 rebounds in the season opener vs. USC Upstate.
›› Two redshirt sophomore transfers that sat out last season are set to make an immediate impact. Honesty Scott-Grayson (Baylor) and Jala Jordan (West Virginia) both look to earn significant playing time. Scott-Grayson earned her first career start and scored 7 points in Wednesday's opener. Jordan tied for the team lead with 16 points and hit 4-of-6 3-pointers vs. USC Upstate.
›› Four other returners saw game action for Auburn last season: redshirt junior Kiyae' White and sophomores Annie Hughes, Morgan Robinson-Nwagwu and Sania Wells. Wells and Robinson-Nwagwu played significant minutes in the opener; Robinson-Nwagwu had a career-high four steals and matched career-highs with 6 points and 4 rebounds.
STARTING ON DAY ONE
›› Three players making their Auburn debuts were in the starting lineup for the season opener vs. USC Upstate on Nov. 25: true freshman Aicha Coulibaly, redshirt sophomore Honesty Scott-Grayson and junior Kira Lowery.
›› Coulibaly became the eighth Auburn freshman since 2005 to earn a start in her collegiate debut. She was the fourth true freshman under Terri Williams-Flournoy to be in the starting lineup on night one.
UP NEXT
›› Auburn hosts Gardner-Webb Tuesday, Dec. 1, to wrap up a season-opening three-game home stand at Auburn Arena. Game time is set for 6 p.m. CT.
Tigers host Samford Saturday at Auburn Arena
