AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn women's basketball team faces the nation's top-ranked squad on the road Thursday night as they travel to Columbia, S.C., to face No. 1 South Carolina. Game time is 6 p.m. CT at Colonial Life Arena.
The Tigers put together another strong effort Monday night that came up just short in an 83-77 loss to No. 17 Florida at home. Honesty Scott-Grayson recorded her third double-double of the season with 21 points and a career-high 14 rebounds.
South Carolina comes into Thursday night having won 11 straight and with a one-game lead over Tennessee in the SEC championship race. The Gamecocks defeated then-No. 17 Georgia 72-54 on the road Sunday in their last outing.
ON THE AIR
›› Brit Bowen will have the radio call from Columbia beginning at 5:45 CT on WQSI 93.9 FM. The broadcast can also be heard online at AuburnTigers.com and on the Auburn Athletics mobile app.
›› Thursday's game can be seen on SEC Network with Eric Frede and Christy Thomaskutty calling the action.
LAST TIME OUT
›› Auburn went toe-to-toe with 17th-ranked Florida Monday night, but was unable to make enough plays down the stretch as the Gators held on for an 83-77 win at Auburn Arena.
›› The Tigers had their highest-scoring night in SEC play and had four players in double-figures, but Florida took advantage of Auburn foul trouble and numerous opportunities at the free-throw line to hold off a late Auburn charge.
›› Honesty Scott-Grayson recorded her third double-double of the year, leading the Tigers with 21 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. Aicha Coulibaly fought early foul trouble to finish with 15 points and seven boards, Annie Hughes added 13 and Sania Wells had 12 points and six assists. Jala Jordan knocked down three 3-pointers to finish with nine points.
›› The Tigers hit a season-high eight 3-pointers – three apiece from Jordan and Hughes – and shot 43.1 percent from the field (28-65), hitting one more shot than the Gators. The teams were dead even in rebounding at 38 apiece (16 offensive, 22 defensive for both teams), but the deep Florida bench scored 28 points to Auburn's seven.
AN AUBURN WIN WOULD...
›› Be Auburn's second SEC win of the season.
›› Snap an 11-game skid against South Carolina.
›› Be Auburn's third win over a ranked opponent this season (#4 Tennessee, #18 Georgia Tech).
›› Be Auburn's first win over a No. 1 team since 1990 (Louisiana Tech, 1990 Final Four).
AUBURN-SOUTH CAROLINA SERIES
›› Auburn is 21-26 all-time against South Carolina, and the Gamecocks hold a 13-7 lead in Columbia. The Gamecocks have won 11 straight, dating back to 2013.
LAST MEETING: Feb. 4, 2021, in Auburn
No. 2/1 South Carolina 77, Auburn 58
›› Auburn outscored the nation's top-ranked team in the second half, but a tough first quarter was too much to overcome as the Tigers fell to No. 2/1 South Carolina 77-58 at Auburn Arena.
›› The Tigers couldn't get much of anything to fall in the first 15 minutes or so as South Carolina took advantage of Auburn's misfires and built a big early lead. But Auburn followed its worst shooting half in SEC play (19.4%) with its best (53.3%), outscoring the Gamecocks by 10 after halftime.
›› Honesty Scott-Grayson led Auburn with 15 points while also pulling down four rebounds. Unique Thompson added 10 points and eight rebounds along with a team-leading three steals. And Romi Levy was 3-of-5 from 3-point range for a nine-point effort; she also had five rebounds and led Auburn with three assists.
AUBURN VS. NUMBER ONE
›› This will mark Auburn's 19th contest against the nation's top-ranked team (AP or Coaches' polls) in history. The Tigers are 2-16 all-time against teams carrying the No. 1 ranking. It will be the fourth time for Auburn to face South Carolina when the Gamecocks are atop a national poll.
›› Auburn's last win over a No. 1 team came on March 30, 1990, when the Tigers defeated top-ranked Louisiana Tech 81-69 in the 1990 Final Four in Knoxville, Tenn.
›› The Tigers' last three meetings with a No. 1 team also came against South Carolina - last season in Auburn (L, 58-77), 2020 in Columbia (L, 53-79) and in 2015 in Columbia (L, 58-77). 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.
SCOUTING SOUTH CAROLINA
›› South Carolina has five wins over top-10 opponents and has been No. 1 in the national rankings since the beginning of the season. The Gamecocks' lone loss came on an overtime buzzer-beater at Missouri.
›› The Gamecocks average 71.2 points per game while holding opponents to 51.5, the best scoring defense in the SEC. Carolina leads the nation in blocked shots per game (8.3) and rebound margin (+16.8).
›› Aliyah Boston leads the Gamecocks with 17.1 points per game, and she leads the SEC in double-doubles (18) and field goal percentage (54.7%).
SCOUTING AUBURN
›› Auburn is 9-14, 1-11 in SEC play. The Tigers finally broke through with a stunning 71-61 win over No. 4 Tennessee on Jan. 27, snapping a 23-game SEC losing streak.
›› With wins at No. 18 Georgia Tech on Nov. 21 and at home over No. 4 Tennessee on Jan. 27, Auburn has two wins over ranked opponents for the first time since 2016.
›› Sophomore Aicha Coulibaly leads Auburn and is fourth in the SEC in scoring with 18.1 points/game. She is also the Tigers' top rebounder with 7.7 rebounds per game (10th SEC). She has topped the 20-point mark in nine contests, scoring a career-high 27 against Charleston Southern, 23 against North Florida, 25 vs. Oklahoma State, 24 at Belmont, 23 vs. Kennesaw State, 24 at Florida, 26 vs. Tennessee, 21 at Vanderbilt and 24 vs. Mississippi State. She also has four double-doubles this season, including 14 points and 11 rebounds vs. Kentucky. For her efforts against UNF and OSU, she was named SEC Player of the Week on Dec. 7.
›› Redshirt junior Honesty Scott-Grayson is averaging 12.5 points and 5.6 rebounds, and she has recorded three double-doubles, including 21 points and a career-high 14 rebounds vs. Florida (2/13). She scored a season-high 23 points at Arkansas (2/10).
›› Junior guard Sania Wells is the SEC's top free-throw shooter at .932 (68-73), which also ranks 6th nationally. She scored a career-high 20 points at Missouri on Jan. 6.
›› Junior Annie Hughes is the only Tiger to appear in every game since the start of the 2019-20 season. Hughes scored a career-high 21 points and hit 5 3-pointers against Charleston Southern on Nov. 26. She also hit a key 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter that was a dagger in the Tigers' upset of No. 4 Tennessee.
PLAY4KAY
›› Coach Johnnie Harris and associate head coach Bob Starkey made a combined donation of $1,545 to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund following Auburn's Pink Game vs. Florida on Feb. 14. Harris donated $5 per student in attendance, and Starkey, who had pledged $1 per student, bumped his contribution to $500.
UP NEXT
›› Auburn is back home Sunday morning to take on No. 21 Georgia. Game time is 11 a.m. CT at Auburn Arena.
Tigers face top-ranked Gamecocks on the road
