AUBURN, Ala. – The 52nd season of Auburn women's basketball begins Tuesday night as the Tigers host Sam Houston at Neville Arena. Tip is set for 7 p.m. CT.
Tuesday's game is Military Appreciation Night for Auburn women's basketball. All active and retired military personnel can show military ID at the arena ticket office for a free general admission ticket. Tuesday is also Coach Johnnie Harris' birthday. The first 100 fans at the scholarship entrance will receive a free cake pop.
Season and single-game tickets are available by visiting AUBTix.com, visiting the Auburn Ticket Office at Neville Arena, or by calling 855-282-2010.
ON THE AIR
›› Brit Bowen and Larry DiChiara will have the radio call on WQSI 93.9 FM beginning at 6:45 p.m. The broadcast can also be heard on AuburnTigers.com and the Auburn Tigers mobile app.
›› Tuesday's game can be seen on SEC Network + with Brad Law and Joe Ciampi calling the action. SECN+ is available via WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app for mobile devices and smart TVs.
LAST TIME OUT
›› The Auburn women's basketball team got a fight from Tuskegee Thursday night, but the Tigers pulled away in the fourth quarter for an 81-59 win in an exhibition game at Neville Arena.
›› Auburn saw their neighbors from just down Highway 29 cut a 17-point deficit to 10 at the end of three quarters, but the Tigers turned six Tuskegee turnovers into eight points in the final frame to secure the preseason victory.
›› Three players scored in double-figures for Auburn, led by a 17-point night from senior Honesty Scott-Grayson to lead all scorers. Junior Aicha Coulibaly recorded a double-double with 16 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, and freshman Sydney Shaw made the most of her first collegiate action with 13 points and a game-high seven assists. Shaw also led the Tigers with four steals.
›› All 12 players dressed for Auburn saw game action as three freshmen – Shaw, Kharyssa Richardson and Kaitlyn Duhon – earned a starting spot, and fellow newcomers Jakayla Johnson and Mya Pratcher played for Auburn for the first time.
AN AUBURN WIN WOULD...
›› Improve Auburn's record to 42-10 in season-openers.
›› Be Auburn's 43rd win in its last 44 home openers.
›› Push the Tigers' record to 12-1 all-time against current members of the WAC.
AUBURN-SAM HOUSTON SERIES
›› This is the third meeting between Auburn and Sam Houston. The teams previous played a home-and-home series in 2007 and 2008.
LAST MEETING: Dec. 5, 2008
#14 Auburn 119, Sam Houston 54
›› No. 14 Auburn had a record-setting night as the Tigers posted a 119-54 victory over Sam Houston at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum. The 119 points in the game set a new Auburn record for points in a single game while the 65-point margin of victory ranks 12th all-time at Auburn.
›› Senior Whitney Boddie led the Tiger charge in the win, tallying the first triple-double of her career as she finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. The triple-double was just the second all-time at Auburn by either the men's or women's teams.
›› Boddie was part of a pack of seven Tigers that finished the game in double figures. Junior KeKe Carrier led the team with a season-high 19 points. DeWanna Bonner was right behind her with 18 points and five rebounds while Alli Smalley added on 13 points and three steals.
›› Reneisha Hobbs and freshman Chanteal Hilliard tallied 13 points each while senior Sherell Hobbs rounded out the pack with 10 points, five assists and four steals.
SCOUTING SAM HOUSTON
›› Sam Houston finished 15-16 overall, 9-9 in Western Athletic Conference play in 2021-22. The Bearkats were picked to finish seventh in the 13-team WAC in 2022-23.
›› The Bearkats return just four letterwinners from the 2021-22 team with six transfers, a redshirt and a pair of true freshmen rounding out the roster.
›› Senior Madelyn Batista is the Bearkats' leading returner in scoring (10.7 ppg) and rebounding (8.4 rpg), and was a preseason All-WAC selection.
SCOUTING AUBURN
›› Auburn returns 3 starters and 8 letterwinners from the 2021-22 team that finished 10-18 overall and 2-14 in SEC play, doubling their win total from the previous season. The Tigers earned three wins over top-25 opponents last season, defeating No. 4 Tennessee, No. 18 Georgia Tech and No. 21 Georgia.
›› The Tigers return 72% of their scoring and 57% of their rebounding from last season, including the team's top three scorers.
›› Junior Aicha Coulibaly was a preseason All-SEC Second Team selection after earning a nod to the postseason All-SEC Second Team last season. She is Auburn's leading returner in scoring (17.1 ppg), rebounding (7.5 rpg) and steals (2.2 spg). She ranked ninth in the SEC in scoring last season. Coulibaly had nine games with 20+ points, including a career-high of 27 vs. Charleston Southern.
›› Redshirt senior Honesty Scott-Grayson returns for her third season on the court for Auburn. She was second on the team with 13.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game last year, starting 27 of 28 games.
›› Senior Sania Wells was the SEC's leading free-throw shooter in 2021-22, hitting 90.5% of her attempts (76-84). That percentage ranked sixth in the nation. Wells was Auburn's third-leading scorer with 9.1 points per game and led the Tigers with 2.6 assists/game.
›› Redshirt sophomore Romi Levy returns to action after missing the 2021-22 season with a torn ACL. As a freshman in 2020-21, she averaged 5.4 points and 3.9 rebounds and was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team.
›› Auburn's newcomers will look to make an immediate impact. Freshmen Sydney Shaw, Kaitlyn Duhon and Kharyssa Richardson are expected to be in the starting lineup opening night. All were highly-rated recruits that helped make up the Tigers' top-25 class last fall. Freshman Mya Pratcher and junior Jakayla Johnson also look to play significant minutes.
›› Freshman Audia Young will miss the 2022-23 season after suffering a torn achilles in preseason practice.
AUBURN IN SEASON OPENERS
›› In 51 previous seasons, Auburn has put together a 41-10 record in season openers (home or away) and sports a 29-4 record when opening the season at home.
UP NEXT
›› It will be a quick turnaround for Auburn as they will face South Alabama on Thursday, Nov. 10, at Neville Arena. Tip is set for 7 p.m. CT. It's the annual Beat Bama Food Drive game; fans can bring a donation of three non-perishable food items and receive a free general admission ticket.
Auburn women open 2022-23 season with Sam Houston
