AUBURN, Ala. – After a much-needed weekend off in SEC play, the Auburn women's basketball team is back in action Thursday night when they take on the Arkansas Razorbacks on the road. Game time is 7 p.m. CT at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.
The Tigers had Sunday off following a tough 70-65 loss at home to Mississippi State last Thursday that saw Auburn lead early and mount a late comeback, ultimately falling just short. Sophomore Aicha Coulibaly recorded her third straight game of 20-plus points and ninth of the season, scoring 24.
Arkansas has also dropped its last two, including a 77-64 loss to Texas A&M last Thursday. Like Auburn, the Razorbacks had Sunday off and will be playing their first game in a week.
ON THE AIR
›› Brit Bowen and Reneisha Bolden will have the radio call beginning at 6:45 p.m. CT on WQSI 93.9 FM in Auburn. The game can also be heard on AuburnTigers.com and the Auburn Athletics app.
›› Thursday's game can be seen on SEC Network + with Brett Dolan and Blair Lansden calling the action.
LAST TIME OUT
›› Auburn fought back in the fourth quarter from a double-digit deficit but was unable to complete the comeback in a 70-65 loss to Mississippi State Thursday night at Auburn Arena.
›› The Tigers struggled at the free-throw line and saw the Bulldogs hit clutch shots from distance in the second half to secure their third straight SEC win.
›› Auburn took 17 more shots than MSU but were 40 percent from the floor, 2-of-13 on 3-pointers and 13-of-25 at the free-throw line. Meanwhile, State shot 51 percent from the floor and knocked down 7-of-13 3-point attempts. The Tigers did out-rebound the Bulldogs 39-34 and controlled the paint, outscoring State inside 42-26.
›› Aicha Coulibaly topped the 20-point mark for the third straight game, leading the Tigers with 24. Honesty Scott-Grayson added 12 with eight of those coming in the fourth quarter; she missed significant minutes with early foul trouble. Sania Wells had a game-high six assists, and Scott-Grayson and Annie Hughes tied for the team lead with five rebounds apiece.
AN AUBURN WIN WOULD...
›› Be Auburn's first SEC road win of the season.
›› End a 13-game road losing streak in SEC play.
›› Snap a four-game skid against Arkansas.
›› Be the Tigers' third win in their last four trips to Fayetteville.
AUBURN-ARKANSAS SERIES
›› Auburn is 23-19 all-time against Arkansas and owns a 10-9 lead in Fayetteville. The Tigers have won two of their last three games at Bud Walton Arena, a 75-72 win in 2019 and a 70-64 victory in 2017.
LAST MEETING: Feb. 25, 2021, in Auburn
#16 Arkansas 74, Auburn 69
›› It was a Senior Night to remember for Auburn's Unique Thompson, who scored 22 points and had 18 rebounds, but the Tigers let a fourth-quarter lead slip away in a 74-69 loss to No. 16 Arkansas at Auburn Arena.
›› The Tigers trailed by as many as 10 in the second quarter, flipped that to a 10-point lead in the third quarter, and were still ahead with less than five minutes to play. But the Razorbacks found their shooting stroke in the final minutes, and Auburn was unable to keep pace down the stretch.
›› Thompson's 22-point, 18-rebound effort was her 15th double-double of the season. It was also the 57th of her career, which moved her into a tie for eighth place all-time in Southeastern Conference history, alongside SEC greats Chamique Holdsclaw (Tennessee), Armintie Price (Ole Miss) and Alaina Coates (South Carolina).
›› She had help on the offensive end as three other Tigers hit for double figures. Honesty Scott-Grayson had 18 points and six rebounds, along with a career-high three blocks. Sania Wells dropped a career-high 12 points, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers, and Aicha Coulibaly scored 10 points and pulled down four rebounds.
SCOUTING ARKANSAS
›› Arkansas is 14-8 overall, 4-5 in SEC play. The Razorbacks have dropped their last two games, an 86-83 overtime loss at Tennessee and a 77-64 loss at Texas A&M last week.
›› The Razorbacks are the SEC's top-scoring team at 76.5 points per game, and they also lead the league in 3-pointers per game at 9.4.
›› Amber Ramirez leads Arkansas wtih 14.7 points per game, and she leads the SEC in 3-pointers with 2.8 per game.
›› Auburn head coach and Arkansas native Johnnie Harris made her first coaching stop in the SEC at Arkansas, where she was an assistant from 2004-07.
SCOUTING AUBURN
›› Auburn is 9-12, 1-9 in SEC play. After falling in five SEC games where the Tigers either led in the fourth quarter or were within one possession in the final minute, the Tigers finally broke through with a stunning 71-61 win over No. 4 Tennessee on Jan. 27, snapping a 23-game SEC losing streak.
›› With wins at No. 18 Georgia Tech on Nov. 21 and at home over No. 4 Tennessee on Jan. 27, Auburn has two wins over ranked opponents for the first time since 2016.
›› Sophomore Aicha Coulibaly leads Auburn and is fourth in the SEC in scoring with 18.5 points/game. She is also the Tigers' top rebounder with 7.8 rebounds per game (7th SEC). She has topped the 20-point mark in nine contests, scoring a career-high 27 against Charleston Southern, 23 against North Florida, 25 vs. Oklahoma State, 24 at Belmont, 23 vs. Kennesaw State, 24 at Florida, 26 vs. Tennessee, 21 at Vanderbilt and 24 vs. Mississippi State. She also has four double-doubles this season, including 14 points and 11 rebounds vs. Kentucky. For her efforts against UNF and OSU, she was named SEC Player of the Week on Dec. 7.
›› Redshirt junior Honesty Scott-Grayson is averaging 12.0 points and 5.5 rebounds, and she has recorded two double-doubles. She was the Tigers' leading returner from 2020-21 in most statistical categories: scoring (14.5 ppg), rebounding (4.1 rpg), assists (1.7 apg), steals (2.1 APG) and shooting (.406 FG/.301 3FG/.761 FT).
›› Junior guard Sania Wells is the SEC's top free-throw shooter at .923 (60-65), which also ranks 8th nationally. She scored a career-high 20 points at Missouri on Jan. 6.
›› Junior Annie Hughes is the only Tiger to appear in every game since the start of the 2019-20 season. Hughes scored a career-high 21 points and hit 5 3-pointers against Charleston Southern on Nov. 26. She also hit a key 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter that was a dagger in the Tigers' upset of No. 4 Tennessee.
UP NEXT
›› Auburn is back home Monday night, Feb. 14, to take on the Florida Gators at 6 p.m. CT. It's the annual Play4Kay Pink Game; all fans are encouraged to wear pink.
›› Head coach Johnnie Harris and associate head coach Bob Starkey will make a donation to the Kay Yow Foundation for every student that attends next Monday's game; Harris will donate $2 per student and Starkey will contribute $1 per student.
Auburn women on the road at Arkansas Thursday
