The Auburn Women’s Basketball team will look to bounce back from their road loss at Vanderbilt, as the Tigers welcome in-state rival Alabama to Neville Arena.
Following a historic win against 7th ranked LSU, Auburn was not able to follow it up with another win, as the Tigers fell 53-50 to Vanderbilt. The loss sent the Tigers to the bottom of the SEC standings.
The road does not get any easier when the Crimson Tide come to town. Auburn has dropped their last nine matchups against Alabama, a skid that head coach Johnnie Harris will certainly want to end on Sunday.
Alabama is also coming off a matchup with the reigning champion LSU Tigers, but were not as fortunate as Auburn. The Crimson Tide were handled at home 78-58, dropping their third SEC contest of the season.
Alabama is led by senior guard Sarah Ashlee Barker, who averages 16 points per game. Barker is also second on the team in the rebound and assist per game category, coming in with 5.6 and 3.1 respectively.
For Auburn to control Barker and Alabama, they will need to continue turning their opponents over at a high rate. The Tigers rank third in the SEC in steals per game with 10.6, and twentieth nationally in turnovers forced per game with 21.3.
The Tigers will also need to rely on the offensive production of 5-9 guard Honesty Scott-Grayson, who has scored in double figures in her last twelve games. Scott-Grayson’s 21 points were a huge factor in the victory over LSU, and a similar performance will be needed to knock off Alabama.
Another bit of motivation for the Tigers, legendary Auburn Alum DeWanna Bonner will be back on the Plains to have her number 24 jersey retired and hung in the rafters. Members of the 2009 SEC Championship winning team will also be in the building, as the Tigers look to take down the Tide.
The rivalry matchup is scheduled for tipoff at 2 p.m. CT Sunday afternoon, with coverage coming from the Auburn Sports Network and SECN+.
