AUBURN, Ala. – It’s the final Auburn women’s basketball game before the holiday break as the Tigers host Alabama State at noon CT Saturday at Neville Arena.
The Tigers (8-3) look to head into the break on a four-game win streak after a road win Wednesday at Louisiana-Lafayette; DeYona Gaston scored 29 points to help Auburn to a 68-51 win. The Hornets (2-8) fell at home to West Georgia on Wednesday in their last game.
Fans arriving early can pick up a limited edition Neville Arena ornament, and Auburn holiday beanies will also be available while supplies last. Arena doors will open at 11 a.m. CT.
Tickets are available in advance by visiting AUBTix.com or calling 855-282-2010, and they can also be purchased on gameday at the Neville Arena ticket office.
PARKING INFO (NEW FOR 2024-25)
›› The Neville Arena parking lot is now a reserved permit-only lot for premium reserved season-ticket holders. This lot will only be accessible with a parking pass. Parking for all other fans is available in the Campus Safety Lot, Coliseum Lot and Stadium Deck.
›› Accessible parking is available in the Neville Arena parking lot with a valid state-issued ADA hang tag or license plate. This will be strictly enforced. These areas will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Additional accessible parking is available in the lots at the corner of Wire Road and Extension Loop, Campus Safety and Coliseum lot.
ON THE AIR
›› Brit Bowen and Larry DiChiara will have the radio call on ESPN 106.7 FM beginning at 11:45 a.m. CT. The broadcast can also be heard on AuburnTigers.com and the Auburn Athletics app.
›› The game can be seen on SEC Network + with JJ Jackson and Kamera Harris calling the action.
LAST TIME OUT
›› DeYona Gaston scored 29 points and pulled down 10 rebounds as Auburn picked up its second road victory of the year, defeating Louisiana-Lafayette 68-51 Wednesday morning at the Cajundome.
›› Auburn (8-3) used a massive size advantage to control the paint and the boards, despite a season-high 25 turnovers in front of a record crowd of just under 6,000 on Education Day in Lafayette.
›› Gaston’s double-double was her fourth of the season, and it was her third time topping the 25-point mark. Oyindamola Akinbolawa also benefited from the Tigers’ size advantage, scoring a career-high 10 points and falling just one rebound shy of her first double-double.
›› Auburn also had its best free-throw shooting day of the season, hitting 15-of-17 at the line.
AN AUBURN WIN WOULD...
›› Improve the Tigers to 5-0 at home this year.
›› Keep the Tigers undefeated all-time against Alabama State.
›› Send Auburn into the holiday break on a four-game winning streak.
SERIES HISTORY VS. ALABAMA STATE
›› This is the 23rd all-time meeting with Alabama State in a series that dates back to the 1976-77 season. Auburn has won all 22 previous meetings, including a 14-0 mark at home.
LAST MEETING: Dec. 13, 2023, at Auburn
Auburn 94, Alabama State 37
›› Auburn played relentless defense, set the program record with 28 steals and scored 28 straight points to run away early from Alabama State, defeating the Hornets 94-37 at Neville Arena for the Tigers’ fifth straight win.
›› Honesty Scott-Grayson led the Tigers with 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting. Taylen Collins scored 17 points, also a season high. Celia Sumbane scored 11 points and led Auburn with seven rebounds and five steals, and McKenna Eddings added 10 points.
›› Auburn forced 40 turnovers – tied for the second-most in program history – leading to 53 points. Collins and Kaitlyn Duhon each added four steals. Carsen McFadden made the first of her two steals midway through the fourth quarter to help Auburn break the previous program record of 25. Twelve of the 15 Tigers who played recorded a steal.
SCOUTING THE HORNETS
›› Alabama State is 2-8 on the year and comes into Saturday’s game on an eight-game skid. ASU defeated Faulkner and Stillman their first two games.
›› Auburn will be the fifth SEC team ASU has faced this year: Mississippi State, Alabama, Ole Miss and Oklahoma. The Hornets have also played P4 opponents Virginia and Oklahoma State, and they will play at Florida to wrap up non-conference play.
›› Preseason All-SWAC selection Cordasia Harris leads the Hornets in scoring (9.4 ppg) and rebounding (7.5 ppg).
SCOUTING AUBURN
›› Auburn is 8-3 and on a three-game winning streak after a 68-51 road victory at Louisiana-Lafayette Wednesday morning.
›› Graduate student DeYona Gaston leads the Tigers with 20.8 points and 9.0 rebounds per game, ranking in the SEC’s top 10 in both categories. She set a Neville Arena record for an Auburn player with 36 points in the win over VUL. She also recorded her 1,000th career point and 500th career rebound in that victory. She has four double-doubles so far this season, including a 29-point, 10-rebound performance at ULL on Dec. 18. Gaston also hit a corner 3-pointer with 1.6 seconds left to beat Northern Iowa on Nov. 28; it was just the second 3-pointer of her five-year collegiate career. She added 23 points to lead the Tigers to a win at Virginia Dec. 5.
›› Sophomore Taliah Scott, a transfer from Arkansas, made a splash in her Auburn debut, tying the program record for single-game 3-pointers with eight in the Tigers’ win over Little Rock Nov. 14. She scored 26 points in the game along with a career-high 9 rebounds. She followed that up with a 28-point night at Oregon where she knocked down seven 3-pointers. She has missed the last six games with injury.
›› Graduate student Taylen Collins averages 9.7 points and 6.5 rebounds so far this season. She recorded her first double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds in the win over UAB Dec. 8. Collins hit double-digit scoring twice at the Paradise Jam and had 10 rebounds in the win over Pitt, then scored a then-season high 14 in the win at Virginia.
›› Senior Mar’Shaun Bostic has been the Tigers’ starting point guard most of the season, currently ranking fourth in the SEC with 5.4 assists per game. She’s had five or more assists in eight of 11 games so far. One of the fastest players and top defenders in the SEC, she led the Tigers with 1.6 steals per game in 2023-24 and is currently second on the team with 1.8 steals per game this year.
›› Junior Kaitlyn Duhon had a strong showing at the Paradise Jam, scoring 10 points with a pair of 3-pointers vs. Kansas, and turning four steals into eight points vs. UNI. Another elite defender, Duhon averaged 1.2 steals per game while scoring 5.4 points/game last season. Duhon was strong in the opener with 12 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals off the bench, then bested that effort vs. VUL with 13 points, 3 assists and 4 steals. She has missed the last three games with an injury sustained late in the Kansas game Nov. 30.
›› Senior Celia Sumbane scored a career-high 19 points with 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals vs. VUL. She was then named to the Paradise Jam all-tournament team after averaging 10.2 points in the tournament, including 16 in the final game vs. Kansas. She leads the Tigers in field goal percentage at 54.2%.
›› Sophomore Audia Young opened the season with a bang, scoring a career-high 11 points on 3-4 3FG along with four steals vs. SIU. She then set another career high vs. VUL with 18 points, 4 assists and 5 steals. She hit double-digits a third time with 11 points in the win over Pitt, which included three 3-pointers, and she hit a crucial 3-pointer in the fourth quarter to help secure the win at Virginia.
›› True freshmen Jordan Hunter and Syriah Daniels - two of the top high school players in Alabama a year ago - saw their first collegiate action vs. SIU. Hunter had 6 assists and 4 rebounds off the bench in the opener, then went 7-for-7 from the field for 15 points along with 6 assists vs. VUL. Daniels had 12 points and 4 steals in the VUL win, then scored a career-high 14 points in her first career start to help the Tigers come from behind to beat UAB Dec. 8.
›› Junior Oyindamola Akinbolawa has made four starts in the post, averaging 4.0 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. She played her best career game vs. Northern Iowa at the Paradise Jam, finishing with 7 points and 10 rebounds, including her first career 3-pointer. She then scored a career-high 10 points at UL-Lafayette Dec. 18 and just missed her first career double-double with nine rebounds.
UP NEXT
›› Auburn wraps up non-conference play Sunday, Dec. 29, when the Tigers host Norfolk State. Game time is 2 p.m. CT at Neville Arena.