AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn women's basketball team looks to build on the momentum from a huge win Sunday as they face Little Rock on the road Wednesday. Game time is noon CT at the Jack Stephens Center.
Auburn (2-2) earned one of its biggest wins in years in Atlanta Sunday as they upset No. 18 Georgia Tech 59-51 for their first road win over a ranked opponent since 2014. Honesty Scott-Grayson led Auburn with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, and the Tigers' defense held Tech to its lowest scoring output of the season.
Little Rock (3-1) has won three straight games, including a victory over SEC foe Vanderbilt. The Trojans defeated Memphis 55-50 their last time out. Auburn and Little Rock have only met once before, a 106-37 Auburn win in 2000.
It will be a homecoming of sorts for Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris, an Arkansas native. She began her coaching career as an assistant at Little Rock and was on the Trojans' bench for two seasons from 1999-2001. In fact, she was an assistant at UALR the last time Auburn and Little Rock played.
ON THE AIR
›› Brit Bowen will have the radio call from Little Rock on WTGZ 95.9 FM, online at AuburnTigers.com and on the Auburn Athletics mobile app.
›› The game will air on ESPN+ with Hayden Balgavy and Cori Keller on the call.
LAST TIME OUT
›› Auburn's defense put together its best performance of the year, and Honesty Scott-Grayson turned in her second straight standout game as the Tigers upset No. 18 Georgia Tech 59-51 Sunday afternoon at McCamish Pavilion.
›› The Tigers (2-2) jumped out to a big early lead – increasing it to as much as 22 in the second half – and held off a comeback bid by Tech (4-1) for its first road win over a ranked opponent in nearly eight years.
›› Scott-Grayson never came off the floor, scoring 18 points along with six rebounds and three assists. She had her best 3-point shooting game of her career as well, going 4-of-8 from long range.
›› Aicha Coulibaly added 14 points with five boards, and Sania Wells delivered four clutch free throws in the final minute to clinch the victory; she finished with eight points. Annie Hughes also played all 40 minutes, finishing with seven points and a pair of assists. Jala Jordan turned in a strong performance on both ends of the floor, finishing with four points and three rebounds while also drawing three charges to help Auburn set the tone early.
›› As a team, Auburn shot a season-best 40.7 percent while holding Tech to a season-low 35.2 percent. Auburn was 10-of-14 at the free-throw line (71.4%) and made five 3-pointers; the Tigers also committed just nine turnovers while turning 15 Tech turnovers into 12 points. Tech out-rebounded Auburn 39-29.
AN AUBURN WIN WOULD...
›› Improve Auburn's all-time record against Little Rock to 2-0.
›› Push the Tigers above .500 on the season.
›› Give Auburn a three-game winning streak.
›› Give Auburn consecutive road wins for the first time since victories at Ole Miss and Arkansas on Jan. 31 and Feb. 10, 2019.
AUBURN-LITTLE ROCK SERIES
›› This is just the second meeting between Auburn and Little Rock. The Tigers and Trojans last met Dec. 2, 2000, at the USF Classic in Tampa, Fla.; Auburn won 106-37.
LAST MEETING: Dec. 2, 2000, at Tampa
#14 Auburn 106, Little Rock 37
›› Five Tigers scored in double-figures as 14th-ranked Auburn defeated Little Rock 106-37 at the USF Classic in Tampa, Fla.
›› Shera Looney recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, Carol Smith led Auburn with 18 points, and Tasha Hamilton and Shana Askew scored 12 apiece. Lori Nero added 10.
›› Auburn shot 56.9 percent, including 54.5 percent from 3-point range, and held the Trojans to 20.3% from the floor.
›› Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris was an assistant on the Little Rock bench during that game.
SCOUTING LITTLE ROCK
›› Little Rock is 3-1 on the season, a record that includes a victory over SEC foe Vanderbilt (56-40 on Nov. 12).
›› The Trojans average 61.5 points/game and shoot 40.5% from the field.
›› Redshirt sophomore Sali Kourouma is the nation's fourth-leading scorer, averaging 25.3 points/game. She scored 30 in the win over Vanderbilt and 32 in the victory over Memphis. For her efforts, she has been named Sun Belt Player of the Week for two straight weeks.
›› The Trojans were picked fifth in the Sun Belt preseason poll.
BACK WHERE IT ALL STARTED
›› Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris returns to the school where she began her coaching career. Harris, an Arkansas native, was an assistant coach at Little Rock from 1999-2001 as the program restarted after an 11-year hiatus.
SCOUTING AUBURN
›› Auburn is 2-2 and earned a signature win its last time out, defeating No. 18 Georgia Tech 59-51 in Atlanta Sunday.
›› The Tigers return 3 starters and 9 letterwinners from its 2020-21 team that finished 5-19 overall, 0-15 in SEC play.
›› Redshirt junior Honesty Scott-Grayson is averaging 15.0 points and 8.5 rebounds through four games this year, and she has recorded two double-doubles. She is the Tigers' leading returner from 2020-21 in most statistical categories: scoring (14.5 ppg), rebounding (4.1 rpg), assists (1.7 apg), steals (2.1 APG) and shooting (.406 FG/.301 3FG/.761 FT).
›› Junior Sania Wells and sophomore Aicha Coulibaly are expected to have a major impact on the Tigers in 2021-22. Wells will return to her natural position of point guard; she averaged 3.3 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists last season. Coulibaly averaged 5.1 points and 3.1 rebounds as a freshman.
›› Wells leads the Tigers in assists (3.3) and is third in scoring (11.5) through four games, and she is one of 24 players nationally to still be perfect at the free-throw line this season (15-of-15). Coulibaly is the team's top rebounder with 8.8 per game and the team's second-leading scorer with 13.0/game.
›› Junior Annie Hughes and redshirt senior Kiyae' White look to be a part of the Tigers' regular rotation as well. Hughes is the only Tiger to appear in every game each of the last two seasons; she averaged 3.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in 20-21. White missed all but one game last season, but as a redshirt sophomore in 2019-20, she averaged 4.0 points and 4.8 rebounds.
›› The Tigers will be without sophomore Romi Levy for the 2021-22 season after she suffered a torn ACL in practice just before the start of the season.
›› Transfers Xaria Wiggins and Paris Mullins look to provide depth off the bench for the Tigers, along with freshmen Amoura Graves and Mar'Shaun Bostic. Redshirt sophomore walk-on Adaora Onwumelu made her collegiate debut at Old Dominion with five rebounds in seven minutes.
UP NEXT
›› It's a quick turnaround for Auburn as the Tigers are back on the floor Friday as they host Charleston Southern at Auburn Arena. Game time is set for noon CT.
Road swing continues for Tigers at Little Rock
