AUBURN, Ala. – It will be a day of celebration inside Neville Arena Sunday as Auburn women's basketball plays host to Alabama at 2 p.m. CT.
Prior to the game, Auburn great DeWanna Bonner will have her number 24 raised to the rafters as the fifth number to be retired by Auburn women's basketball. That ceremony is slated to begin at approximately 1:50 p.m. It's also Alumni Weekend as dozens of Auburn women's basketball letterwinners return to the Plains; they will be recognized on the court at halftime.
Fans arriving early can pick up a limited edition DeWanna Bonner jersey rally towel. Students also have the opportunity to grab an exclusive 70's themed bucket hat while supplies last. Arena doors open at 1 p.m. CT.
Auburn (12-6, 1-4 SEC) looks to bounce back from a heartbreaking 53-50 setback at Vanderbilt Thursday night, while Alabama (15-5, 2-3) has dropped two straight, including a 78-58 home loss to No. 10 LSU in their last outing.
PARKING/TICKETS
›› After a record-breaking attendance for last Sunday's win over LSU, another large crowd is expected for Sunday's game. Fans are urged to arrive early and utilize available parking in the Campus Safety lot and enter through the north Main Entrance to avoid long lines at the Scholarship Entrance. Additional parking is available in the Arena lot, Stadium deck, Coliseum lot and Athletic Complex deck.
›› Tickets are available in advance by visiting AUBTix.com. General admission seating can also be purchased on gameday at the Neville Arena ticket office.
DEWANNA BONNER DAY
›› In a ceremony Friday afternoon on campus, Auburn Mayor Ron Anders proclaimed Jan. 21, 2024, as "DeWanna Bonner Day" in the City of Auburn. The mayor presented Bonner with a proclamation.
›› Bonner is Auburn's all-time leading scorer with 2,162 points and third in career rebounds with 1,047. She was the 2009 SEC Player of the Year and a two-time All-American, and is a 5-time WNBA All-Star.
›› Bonner's No. 24 will be the fifth jersey retired by Auburn women's basketball, joining Carolyn Jones (No. 21), Ruthie Bolton (No. 25), Becky Jackson (No. 34) and Vickie Orr (No. 50).
DeWanna Bonner Day has a nice ring to it 🤩
— Auburn Women's Basketball (@AuburnWBB) January 20, 2024
January 21st is officially @DEEBONNER24 day in Auburn, Alabama!! #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/aEHuvV63eI
ON THE AIR
›› Brit Bowen and Larry DiChiara will have the radio call on AU100 (100.3 FM) beginning at 1:40 p.m. CT. The broadcast can also be heard on AuburnTigers.com and the Auburn Athletics app.
›› Sunday's game can be seen on SEC Network +, which is available via WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app for mobile devices and smart TVs. Lyn Rollins and Hall of Fame Coach Joe Ciampi have the call.
LAST TIME OUT
›› A game that featured eight ties and 17 lead changes saw Auburn unable to hold onto a late lead in a 53-50 loss at Vanderbilt Thursday afternoon.
›› Honesty Scott-Grayson continued her stellar week with a team-leading 15 points along with a season-high six assists. She also had six rebounds on the day. Taylen Collins just missed a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds.
›› The score was tied with a minute to play, but Vanderbilt scored with 33 seconds left to take the lead. Auburn had two possessions in the final seconds but was unable to convert those into points, and the Commodores held on.
AN AUBURN WIN WOULD...
›› Snap a nine-game losing streak to Alabama.
›› Be Auburn's 10th home win of the season.
AUBURN-ALABAMA SERIES
›› This is the 102nd meeting between Auburn and Alabama in women's basketball, the second-most played series in the SEC behind only Ole Miss-Mississippi State. Auburn is 53-48 all-time against the Crimson Tide in a series that dates back to 1973.
›› Auburn's and Alabama's records do not match because Alabama did not sponsor women's basketball as a varsity sport until the 1974-75 season. Two meetings in 1973 and 1974 were between Auburn's varsity team and Alabama's club team. Auburn lost to Alabama 33-29 in 1973, then defeated the Tide 69-31 on Jan. 11, 1974, in the first women's basketball game at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum.
SCOUTING THE CRIMSON TIDE
›› Alabama is 15-5 overall, 2-3 in SEC play. The Tide has wins over Missouri and Georgia so far in league play.
›› The Tide averages 74.2 points/game while holding opponents to 55.6.
›› Sarah Ashlee Barker leads Alabama with 16.0 points per game. Aaliyah Nye is one of the nation's top 3-point shooters at 44.1% from long range and having made 67 triples on the year.
SCOUTING AUBURN
›› Auburn is 12-6 overall, 1-4 in SEC play following a tough loss at Vanderbilt Thursday.
›› The Tigers have three road wins this season, the most since winning 10 times on the road in 2018-19.
›› Auburn has two "Quad 1" wins this year, defeating NET No. 14 LSU and No. 21 Washington State, both at home.
›› Graduate student Honesty Scott-Grayson scored a season-high 24 points against Alabama State and had 22 in the win at UAB Dec. 3. She was named SEC Player of the Week after a 21-point performance in the win over LSU. She leads the team with 15.8 points/game and also averages 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists. She averages 16.6 points/game in SEC play.
›› JaMya Mingo-Young leads Auburn with 4.0 assists/game, and she is second on the team with 9.2 points/game. She is fourth in the SEC and 24th nationally in assist/turnover ratio (2.6). She is also second in the league in free-throw percentage (87.9%) and made 29 consecutive free throws from the UAB game Dec. 3 until finally missing at Texas A&M Jan. 7. Mingo-Young scored a season-high 16 points against Clemson, hitting 9-of-11 free throw attempts, then matched her scoring output with 16 against Norfolk State and tied an Auburn record going 12-for-12 at the free-throw line. She made the highlight-reel play of the season to clinch the win over LSU, stealing the ball from Angel Reese and drawing a foul with 10 seconds to play and Auburn leading by 2, then sinking both free throws to secure the win.
›› Senior Taylen Collins scored a season-best 17 points in the win over Alabama State. Collins had a huge second half to spark the comeback win over UL-Lafayette on Nov. 9 with all nine of her points and 8 of 14 rebounds coming after halftime. She recorded her first Auburn double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds vs. Alabama A&M. She averages 8.3 points and a team-leading 6.5 rebounds.
›› Junior Mar'Shaun Bostic scored a season-high 17 points on 7-11 shooting vs. Tennessee. She had a huge game in the opener vs. Jacksonville State with 12 points, 4 assists, 4 steals and 3 rebounds. She then had another huge game agains Clemson with 7 points, 4 assists and a career-high 5 steals. She was a breakout star in the Tigers' final game of the season last year, scoring a career-high 23 points in the WNIT second round matchup at Clemson.
›› Sophomore Sydney Shaw scored a career-high 17 points at UCF and has hit double-figures in six games. Shaw also led the Tigers with 15 points in the Alabama A&M win and scored 11 against Clemson. She is fourth on the team with 6.7 points/game and leads the outside attack with 20 3-pointers.
›› Sophomore Kaitlyn Duhon started the season off with a bang, scoring 13 points along with 3 rebounds and 2 steals in the opener vs. JSU. She showed off her speed against Clemson, especially late in the first half, as she scored 10 points with 3 rebounds and 3 steals. She swiped a career-high 5 steals in just 10 minutes of action vs. Alabama State, and she earned her first start of the season at Ole Miss.
›› Celia Sumbane and McKenna Eddings, both JUCO All-Americans last season, have played significant minutes.Both were huge in the win over Alabama State - Sumbane finished with 11 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals and 3 assists, all career-highs. Eddings scored 10 points along with 2 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal. Eddings scored a career-high 14 points and was 4-of-5 from 3-point range vs. North Alabama, and she hit a key 3-pointer in the win over LSU. Eddings made her first Division I start vs. California, and Sumbane has started 10 games.
UP NEXT
›› After an open date, Auburn is back in action next Monday, Jan. 29, as they host Georgia at Neville Arena. Game time is 6 p.m. CT with a national broadcast on SEC Network.