AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn's final game before the holiday break will also be the Tigers' toughest test of the season to date as Washington State visits Neville Arena Wednesday afternoon. Game time is 2 p.m. CT.
The Tigers (9-2) are on an six-game winning streak, the latest a 67-39 victory over Norfolk State at home Saturday. Washington State (11-2) bounced back from an opening conference loss to rival Washington to rout Houston 95-48 on Sunday. The Cougars are receiving votes in both the AP and coaches' polls and have been ranked as high as No. 21 this season.
Fans arriving early to Neville Arena can pick up a limited edition "ugly sweater" Auburn holiday ornament at the Scholarship entrance while supplies last. Fans can also register to win an exclusive VIP experience for the Jan. 14 LSU game. Arena doors will open at 1 p.m.
Tickets are available on gameday at the arena ticket office or in advance by visiting AUBTix.com.
🚨Get your giveaways at Neville Arena with Auburn Women's Basketball!🚨
— Auburn Women's Basketball (@AuburnWBB) December 19, 2023
We are giving away one-of-a-kind AU Ugly Sweater Ornaments and a Premium Gameday Experience for the Auburn vs LSU women's basketball game on January 14th.
The Premium Gameday Experience will include 4 game… pic.twitter.com/LhUcNoYvJc
ON THE AIR
›› Brit Bowen and Larry DiChiara will have the radio call on AU100 (100.3 FM) beginning at 1:45 p.m. CT. The broadcast can also be heard on AuburnTigers.com and the Auburn Athletics app.
›› Wednesday's game can be seen on SEC Network + with Lyn Rollins and Hall-of-Fame coach Joe Ciampi on the call. SEC Network + is available via WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app.
LAST TIME OUT
›› Auburn earned its sixth consecutive victory, outscoring Norfolk State by 20 points in the third quarter and scoring 20 consecutive second-half points to defeat the Spartans 67-39 Saturday at Neville Arena.
›› JaMya Mingo-Young tied an Auburn record for free throws without a miss, going 12-for-12 while leading her team in points, rebounds and assists. She scored 16, grabbed five rebounds and made four assists without committing a turnover.
›› Honesty Scott-Grayson overcame a slow start and scored all 12 of her points in the second half. Taylen Collins added 10 points, tied Mingo-Young with five rebounds and led Auburn with four steals.
›› Auburn held a second straight opponent to fewer than 40 points after thrashing Alabama State 94-37 three days earlier. After setting the program record with 28 steals vs. ASU, the Tigers made 13 steals against Norfolk State and forced 27 turnovers.
UP NEXT
›› Following the holiday break, Auburn wraps up non-conference play with a New Year's Eve matinee against North Alabama. Game time is 2 p.m. CT at Neville Arena.
AN AUBURN WIN WOULD...
›› Improve the Tigers' record to 10-2.
›› Give Auburn a seven-game winning streak.
›› Keep the Tigers unbeaten in December non-conference games under Harris (14-0).
›› Be Auburn's third win over a Power 5 non-conference opponent this season, the most since the 2008-09 season.
›› Improve Auburn to 15-4 all-time against the Pac-12.
AUBURN-WASHINGTON STATE SERIES
›› This is the first meeting between Auburn and Washington State in women's basketball.
›› In 18 previous meetings with 10 other Pac-12 schools, Auburn is 14-4. Eleven of those 18 games have been played at neutral sites with four in the NCAA Tournament.
›› Washington State is the third Pac-12 team to visit Auburn for women's basketball. Cal came to Neville Arena earlier this season, and Oregon visited Beard-Eaves Coliseum in 1989.
SCOUTING THE COUGARS
›› Washington State is 11-2 on the year and is receiving votes in both national polls. The Cougars have been ranked as high as No. 21 this season.
›› WSU averages 76.4 points per game while holding opponents to 55.4. The Cougs are among the nation's best shooting teams at 47.6% from the field (23rd NCAA) and also among the best defending teams with a 34.6% FG defense (25th NCAA). WSU ranks 10th nationally in blocks per game (5.9).
›› Bella Murekatete leads WSU in scoring with 14.9 points/game; two others average double-figures.
›› Charlisse Leger-Walker has recorded two triple-doubles on th year, one of three players nationwide to accomplish that feat. She had one in Sunday's game vs. Houston with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
SCOUTING AUBURN
›› Auburn is 9-2 after six straight wins, the last coming Saturday at home over Norfolk State.
›› The Tigers have three road wins this season, the most since winning 10 times on the road in 2018-19.
›› 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 also had 18 points, 5 assists and 5 steals against Clemson. She leads the team with 15.7 points/game and also averages 4.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
›› JaMya Mingo-Young made her first Auburn start at Little Rock, scoring 11 points to go along with 6 rebounds and 4 assists. She came back in her next start against Alabama State with a season-best 6 assists. She 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. Mingo-Young leads Auburn with 4.0 assists/game in the eight games she has played, and she is fourth on the team with 8.3 points/game. She would lead the SEC in assist/turnover ratio (4.6) if she had met playing minimums.
›› Sophomore Sydney Shaw scored a career-high 17 points at UCF and has hit double-figures in five of eight games. Shaw also led the Tigers with 15 points in the Alabama A&M win and scored 11 against Clemson. She is second on the team with 8.7 points/game and leads the outside attack with 15 3-pointers. Possibly the Tigers' best pure shooter, she moves from playing significant minutes at point guard last year to mostly at the 2-guard spot this season, although she has run the point at times this year.
›› 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 8.6 points and a team-leading 6.8 rebounds. Collins, a transfer from Oklahoma State, was fourth in the Big 12 in rebounding last year with 9.5 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.
›› Junior Mar'Shaun Bostic had a huge game in the opener 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, then matched a season-high with 12 points at UAB. 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. 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 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.
›› Celia Sumbane and McKenna Eddings, both JUCO All-Americans last season, have played significant minutes in the first several games. 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 made her first Division I start vs. California, and Sumbane has started the last six games.
›› Freshman Savannah Scott made a splash under the basket through the early part of the season, averaging 7.2 points and 4.6 rebounds. She led the Tigers with 16 points in the win over ULL, then posted her first career double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds in the win at Rutgers. At 6-4, she adds much-needed size in the post, as do fellow freshmen Timya Thurman (6-5) and Yakiya Milton (6-4) along with sophomore Oyindamola Akinbolawa (6-5).
UP NEXT
›› Following the holiday break, Auburn wraps up non-conference play with a New Year's Eve matinee against North Alabama. Game time is 2 p.m. CT at Neville Arena on Sunday, Dec. 31.