AUBURN, Ala. – The 53rd season of varsity Auburn women's basketball officially begins Monday night when the Tigers welcome in-state rival Jacksonville State to Neville Arena. Tip is set for 7 p.m. CT.
Fans in attendance will receive a free Tipoff on the Plains t-shirt while supplies last. Doors open at 6 p.m.
Season tickets are available beginning at $50, and single game tickets are also on sale, both in advance and at the arena ticket office. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit AUBTix.com or call 855-282-2010.
ON THE AIR
›› Brit Bowen and Larry DiChiara will have the radio call on WAUE 100.3 FM beginning at 6:45 p.m. CT. The broadcast can also be heard on AuburnTigers.com and the Auburn Athletics app.
›› Monday's game can be seen on SEC Network + with JJ Jackson and Hall-of-Fame coach Joe Ciampi calling the action.
LAST TIME OUT
›› A 20-point night for Honesty Scott-Grayson and a double-double for Kaitlyn Duhon led Auburn to a 94-65 women's basketball exhibition victory over Columbus State Thursday night at Neville Arena.
›› Scott-Grayson led the Tigers with 20 points in just under 20 minutes of action. She also tied for the team lead with five assists to go along with four rebounds and a steal. Duhon was a force on both ends of the floor. She recorded a double-double with 10 points – all in the fourth quarter – and 10 rebounds to go along with six steals and three assists.
›› Three other Tigers hit for double-digits on the night. Mar'Shaun Bostic scored 13 points along with seven rebounds and five assists, Sydney Shaw had 12 points, and Celia Sumbane added 11 points with three steals. Oyindamola Akinbolawa contributed eight points in just eight minutes of action, along with three rebounds and a pair of steals.
AN AUBURN WIN WOULD...
›› Improve Auburn's record to 43-10 all-time in season openers.
›› Be Auburn's 44th win in its last 45 home openers.
›› Be Auburn's sixth straight win over Jacksonville State.
AUBURN-JACKSONVILLE STATE SERIES
›› This is the 17th meeting between Auburn and Jacksonville State in women's basketball. The Tigers own a 15-1 advantage over the Gamecocks, including a 12-0 edge in Auburn.
LAST MEETING: DEC. 28, 2019
Auburn 62, Jacksonville State 53
›› Auburn senior Daisa Alexander scored her 1,000th career point as the Tigers closed out non-conference play with a 62-53 win over Jacksonville State at Auburn Arena.
›› The Tigers forced a season-high 27 turnovers, turning those into 27 points, and controlled the paint throughout. Auburn never trailed and led by as many as 18 in the fourth quarter before a late 3-point barrage from the Gamecocks cut the final margin to single digits.
›› Junior Unique Thompson kept her nation-leading double-double streak alive with a 20-point, 10-rebound effort, grabbing her final rebound with less than two minutes to play for her 11th straight double-double. Brooke Moore added 11 points and Kiyae' White pulled down eight rebounds to aid the Tiger effort.
SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE STATE
›› Jacksonville State finished 16-14 overall last season, 9-9 in Atlantic Sun Conference play. The Gamecocks are in their first season in Conference USA, making the transition to the FBS level prior to the 2023-24 school year.
›› Last year, JSU averaged 62.5 points per game while holding opponents to 57.9. The Gamecocks were 34th nationally in scoring defense and had the 12th-fewest turnovers per game with 12.3.
›› Keiara Griffin is JSU's leading returner in every offensive and defensive category. Six players return from last year's squad along with seven newcomers.
SCOUTING AUBURN
›› Auburn returns two starters and six total letterwinners from 2022-23, when the Tigers finished 16-15 overall, 5-11 in SEC play. Auburn made its first postseason appearance and secured its first winning record since 2019 last season, when they advanced to the second round of the WNIT.
›› Graduate student Honesty Scott-Grayson is Auburn's leading returning scorer, averaging 12.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.3 steals last season as a redshirt senior. She started 27 games last season and was Auburn's top 3-point shooter, hitting 45-of-122 attempts (36.9%). She also finished third in the SEC in steals per game with 2.3.
›› Scott-Grayson enters her final year at Auburn with 1,065 career points, good for 34th all-time in program history.
›› Sophomore Sydney Shaw started 25 games last season, averaging 7.6 points, and 2.6 rebounds. Possibly the Tigers' best pure shooter, she moves from playing significant minutes at point guard last year to exclusively at the 2-guard spot this season. She was second on the team in 3-point shooting last year, hitting 40-of-118 (33.9%) from deep.
›› Junior Mar'Shaun Bostic was a breakout star in the Tigers' final game of the season, scoring a career-high 23 points in the WNIT second round matchup at Clemson. She played in all 31 games last year, averaging 5.6 points and 1.9 rebounds. Bostic, one of the fastest players in the SEC, looks to play significant minutes at point guard and can be one of the SEC's top defenders.
›› Sophomore Kaitlyn Duhon played in 30 games last season, earning six starts. She averaged 3.8 points and 2.3 rebounds and will likely see significant minutes this season at the 3 or the 4.
›› Eight new players will take the court for Auburn this season - three true freshmen, two junior college transfers and three Division I transfers.
›› Among the Tigers' newcomers, senior Taylen Collins (Oklahoma State) averaged 9.5 points and 9.1 rebounds last year to finish fourth in the Big 12 in rebounding. JaMya Mingo-Young (Alabama/Mississippi State) averaged 5.4 points and 4.4 rebounds in 14 games at Alabama before missing the second half of the season with injury; in 2021-22, she started all 34 games and averaged 11.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and finished second in the SEC with 80 steals.
›› JUCO All-Americans Celia Sumbane and McKenna Eddings have been impressive in preseason practice and will likely play significant minutes.
›› Auburn's three freshmen add much-needed size in the post - Yakiya Milton (6-4), Savannah Scott (6-4) and Timya Thurman (6-5).
AUBURN IN SEASON OPENERS
›› In 52 previous seasons, Auburn has put together a 42-10 record in season openers (home or away) and sports a 30-4 record when playing the first game of the season at home.
›› The Tigers are winners of 43 of their last 44 home openers. A 68-66 loss to Georgia Southern in 2021 snapped a streak that dated back to 1980.
UP NEXT
›› Auburn is back in action Thursday, Nov. 9, as Louisiana-Lafayette visits Neville Arena. Game time is 7 p.m. CT.
›› Thursday's game is Military Appreciation Night.
Women's basketball opens 2023-24 season with Jacksonville State
