AUBURN, Ala.— The Auburn women’s basketball team kicks off a two-home-game week Sunday afternoon when the Tigers host the Florida Gators at Neville Arena. Game time is 2 p.m. CT; arena doors open at 1 p.m.
Sunday’s contest is the team’s Alumni Game; numerous former Auburn women’s basketball players are expected to be in attendance and will be recognized on the court during the game.
It’s also the annual We Back Pat recognition as the women’s basketball world honors the life and legacy of former Tennessee coach Pat Summitt, her battle with Alzheimer’s disease, and continued awareness for Alzheimer’s research. Fans can pick up a free We Back Pat button at the scholarship entrance.
Tickets are available in advance by visiting AUBTix.com or via the Auburn Athletics mobile app, or on gameday at the Neville Arena ticket office. As always, members of Aubie’s Kids Club receive free admission to all home women’s basketball games.
ON THE AIR
›› Brit Bowen and Larry DiChiara will have the radio call on ESPN 106.7 FM beginning at 1:45 p.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 Brad Law and hall-of-famer Joe Ciampi calling the action.
LAST TIME OUT
›› Harissoum Coulibaly scored 11 points to lead Auburn, but No. 2 Texas was too much in a 97-36 win Thursday night at the Moody Center.
›› The Longhorns forced Auburn into 26 turnovers, which turned into 40 points for Texas (18-0, 3-0 SEC). Texas controlled the inside game, scoring 58 points in the paint and out-rebounding the Tigers 50-19.
›› Texas also took advantage of numerous chances at the free throw line, hitting 24-of-29 free throws while the Tigers only attempted 10, making six. Auburn shot a season-low 29 percent from the field (14-48) while Texas shot 54 percent (36-67).
AN AUBURN WIN WOULD...
›› Snap a three-game losing streak.
›› Be Auburn’s fourth win over Florida in the last five meetings.
›› Improve the Tigers to 8-2 at home this season.
AUBURN-FLORIDA SERIES
›› This is the 69th meeting between Auburn and Florida in women’s basketball. The Tigers own a 41-27 lead in the series and an 18-8 advantage at home. Auburn had won three straight in the series before the Gators defeated the Tigers in last year’s SEC Tournament.
LAST MEETING: March 5, 2025, in Greenville, S.C.
Florida 60, Auburn 50
›› A defensive struggle did not go Auburn’s way as Florida eliminated the Tigers from the SEC Tournament 60-50 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
›› In her final game as a Tiger, DeYona Gaston led Auburn with 16 points and 11 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the season. It was the 23rd time in 30 games for the Houston native to lead Auburn in scoring.
›› It was a tough offensive night for the Tigers as they shot a season-low 29.9 percent from the field (20-67) and made just two of 13 3-point attempts. Both teams thrived on second-chance attempts – Auburn scored 19 points off 23 offensive rebounds, and Florida had 23 points on 17 offensive boards.
SCOUTING THE GATORS
›› Florida is 12-6 overall, 0-3 in SEC play. The Gators have kept things close in all three conference games so far with two of their losses to ranked foes in Tennessee and South Carolina.
›› The Gators average 75.6 points per game and allow 60.9.
›› Liv McGill is the SEC’s second-leading scorer and fourth nationally with 23.9 points per game. She also leads the Gators in assists with 5.6 per game (20th NCAA) and is the nation’s leader in field goal attempts.
SCOUTING AUBURN
›› Auburn is 11-6 on the year, dropping its first three SEC games of the season.
›› True freshman Harissoum Coulibaly averages a team-best 11.1 points per game mostly off the bench; she has started three of the last six games, however. She was named SEC Freshman of the Week Dec. 23 after averaging 15.0 points in the two wins over MTSU and Alcorn. She also shoots a team-best 53.3% from the field. She led Auburn with 19 points, matching a season-best, in the win over Georgia State Nov. 17. She made a splash in her college debut Nov. 3 at Charlotte, scoring a team-leading 19 points with nine of those coming in the pivotal overtime period. She added 12 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists vs. MVSU. She came to the U.S. from Paris, France, and she played high school basketball at S3 Academy in Virginia.
›› Redshirt junior Kaitlyn Duhon averages 9.6 points per game. One of the top defenders in the SEC, she also leads the Tigers with 3.5 steals per game, which ranks 3rd in the SEC and 14th nationally. Duhon scored a career-high 20 points and was 5-of-5 from 3-point range at Seton Hall Dec. 14. She also had a career-best 7 steals in the win over Cal on Nov. 26, then had 15 points and six steals at Syracuse Dec. 3. She matched her career-high in steals with 7 at Mississippi State on Jan. 1.
›› Sophomore Khady Leye has been steady, averaging 9.0 points and a team-best 5.3 rebounds. She scored a career-high 20 points in the win over MVSU, then she recorded her first Auburn double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds vs. Georgia State. She added a team-leading 14 points in the win over Rutgers Nov. 20 and matched that 14-point total against Tennessee Jan. 4.
›› Mya Petticord, a senior transfer from Rutgers, matched a season high with 21 points, hitting 4-of-5 3s to lead Auburn in the win over Jackson State. She hit the game-winning shot against her former team, hitting a driving layup with 10 seconds left to clinch the Tigers’ win Nov. 20. She had her best game in two years with 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting (3-4 3FG) in the win over Alabama State. She followed that up with a team-leading 18 points (4-7 3FG) in the win over UNCG. Petticord averages 10.1 points per game and is one of the nation’s top free-throw shooters at 88.9% (32-36).
›› Ja’Mia Harris scored in double figures in three of the first four games. She shared the team lead with 19 points and led the Tigers with 8 rebounds in the win at Charlotte Nov. 3, then scored 16 with four 3-pointers in the win over Alabama State. She followed that up with a pair of 3-pointers on an 11-point night - along with 7 rebounds - vs. UNCG, and she had 17 points and 7 rebounds at Seton Hall.
›› Senior guard A’riel Jackson scored a season-high 17 points, going 7-11 from the field and 3-3 from 3-point range to lead the Tigers in their win over Cal Nov. 26. Two days earlier, she scored a season-high 12 points in the win over UTSA. Jackson knocked down three first-half treys, scoring 9 points with a team-best 4 assists vs. UNCG. She then had 8 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals and 2 assists against Alabama State.
›› Sophomore Syriah Daniels dazzled in her first start of the season at MTSU, setting or matching career-highs with 14 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks in the win. She also scored 10 points with four rebounds and two steals vs. MVSU.
›› Freshman Sania Richardson had the best game of her young career with 12 points in the win over Jackson State. She averages 4.1 points off the bench and is becoming one of Auburn’s top 3-point threats.
›› 6-9 redshirt freshmen Arek Angui notched her first career double-double with career-highs 11 points and 11 rebounds vs. Mississippi Valley State. She made her first appearance for Auburn against Alabama State Nov. 8 and pulled down a team-leading 8 rebounds along with 3 points. Originally from South Sudan, she played one season of high school basketball at Greenforest Academy in Georgia.
›› Senior guard Angena Belloso transferred from FIU where she played in 57 games the last 2 years. She scored a season-high 10 points, all in the second quarter, in Auburn’s game with Oregon Nov. 30.
›› Junior Clara Koulibaly came from the junior college ranks, where she started all 28 games last season at Gulf Coast State CC and averaged 12.0 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. She scored a season-high 4 points in the win over Cal.
›› Junior forward Quanirah Montague, a Mississippi State transfer, made her first appearance of the season against her former school Jan. 1, making an immediate impact with 7 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals. She missed the first 14 games with an injury suffered late last season. She appeared in all 34 games last year for Mississippi State, averaging 4.6 points and 3.7 rebounds in 11.7 minutes per game.
›› Sophomore guard Eva Garabadian joined the Tigers as a walk-on in mid-November and made her Auburn debut with three minutes of action at MTSU. She played in 16 games at Georgia College last year as a freshman.
UP NEXT
›› It’s the annual rivalry showdown with Alabama as the Crimson Tide visit Neville Arena Thursday night, Jan. 15. Game time is 8 p.m. CT.