AUBURN, Ala. – It's a quick turnaround for Auburn women's basketball as they will play their second game in three days Thursday night when South Alabama visits Neville Arena for a 7 p.m. CT tip.
Thursday's game is the annual Beat Bama Food Drive. Fans can bring three or more nonperishable food items and receive a free general admission ticket.
The Tigers (1-0) are coming off a 90-76 win over Sam Houston Tuesday night where four players scored in double-figures and Auburn scored 31 points off 33 Sam Houston turnovers. South Alabama (1-0) earned an 89-45 win over Spring Hill in their season opener Monday night in Mobile.
ON THE AIR
›› Brit Bowen and Larry DiChiara will have the radio call beginning at 6:45 p.m. CT on WQSI 93.9 FM in Auburn. The broadcast can also be heard on AuburnTigers.com and the official Auburn Tigers mobile app.
›› The game can be seen on SEC Network + with audio from the Auburn radio broadcast. SEC Network + is available via WatchESPN.com or the ESPN app for mobile devices and smart TVs.
LAST TIME OUT
›› Auburn gave head coach Johnnie Harris the best birthday present possible with a 90-76 win over Sam Houston Tuesday night to open the 2022-23 women's basketball season at Neville Arena.
›› The Tigers (1-0) had four players in double-figures and turned 33 Sam Houston turnovers into 31 points as Auburn won its home opener for the 43rd time in the last 44 seasons.
›› Junior Aicha Coulibaly lived up to her billing as a preseason All-SEC selection with a 24-point, 10-rebound night for the sixth double-double of her career. She also contributed three assists, two steals and a block.
›› Seniors Honesty Scott-Grayson and Sania Wells along with freshman Sydney Shaw each finished with 12 points. Wells and Scott-Grayson, alongside sophomore Mar'Shaun Bostic, shared the team lead with four assists apiece, and Scott-Grayson matched a career-high with five steals.
›› Despite cooling off in the fourth quarter, the Tigers shot 46.5 percent from the field and were a stellar 20-of-25 (80%) at the free-throw line in a game that featured a combined 57 fouls. Sam Houston won the rebounding battle 44-40, but the Tigers outscored the Bearkats in the paint 50-24 and were strong in the transition game as well with 27 points on fast breaks.
AN AUBURN WIN WOULD...
›› Give Auburn a 2-0 start for the seventh time in the last 10 years.
›› Be Auburn's 8th straight home non-conference victory.
›› Be Auburn's 27th consecutive win over South Alabama, dating back to 1981.
AUBURN-SOUTH ALABAMA SERIES
›› This is the 44th meeting between Auburn and South Alabama in women's basketball. South Alabama is Auburn's most-played non-conference opponent; Troy and UAB are tied for second at 36 games each.
›› Auburn has won 26 straight meetings over South Alabama dating back to 1981 and is 20-0 against the Jaguars all-time at home.
LAST MEETING: Dec. 13, 2020, at Auburn
Auburn 74, South Alabama 66
›› A shorthanded Auburn women's basketball team fought its way back from an early double-digit deficit to earn a 74-66 win over South Alabama at Auburn Arena.
›› Led by 21 points and 15 rebounds from senior Unique Thompson, four players scored in double-figures as the Tigers trailed by as many as 12 and led by as many as 12 in a game that was truly a tale of two halves.
›› Thompson's double-double was her fourth of the season and 46th of her career; she's totaled 47 points and 37 rebounds over her last two games. Sophomore Sania Wells added a career-high 11 points, knocking down three 3-pointers and a pair of free throws to go along with a pair of assists.
Sophomore Annie Hughes also poured in 11 points with a career-high three 3-pointers, and junior Kira Lowery added 10 points on the night. Freshman Romi Levy also had a strong performance with 8 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.
SCOUTING SOUTH ALABAMA
›› South Alabama is 1-0 after a season-opening 89-45 win over Spring Hill Monday night.
›› The Jaguars were 8-18 overall last season, 2-11 in Sun Belt play. They return nine players from last year's roster and were picked to finish 13th in the Sun Belt.
›› Senior Nadia Howard is USA's leading returner in scoring (8.3 ppg) and Kiana Anderson is their top returning rebounder (3.9/game).
SCOUTING AUBURN
›› Auburn is 1-0 after a season-opening win over Sam Houston Tuesday night.
›› 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.
›› 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. She scored 24 points and had 10 rebounds in the season-opener vs. Sam Houston for her sixth career double-double.
›› 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. She had 12 points, 4 assists and 5 rebounds in the opener.
›› 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. Wells is 3-3 at the line so far this season.
›› 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 were all 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.
SEEING DOUBLE
›› Junior Aicha Coulibaly recorded the Tigers' first double-double of the season with 24 points and 10 rebounds in the season-opener vs. Sam Houston. It was the sixth of Coulibaly's career.
DEFENSE CREATING OFFENSE
›› Auburn forced Sam Houston into 33 turnovers in the season opener Nov. 8, turning those into 31 points. The 33 turnovers were the most by an Aubun opponent since the 2017-18 season when ULM had 35.
›› Auburn is 31-0 all-time when forcing 30 or more turnovers in a game.
UP NEXT
›› Auburn faces its toughest test so far as Georgia Tech makes the short trip from Atlanta to Neville Arena next Wednesday, Nov. 16. Game time is 7 p.m. CT.
Auburn women host South Alabama Thursday night
