AUBURN, Ala. - The Auburn Tigers will take on the Virginia University of Lynchburg Dragons Friday night in Neville Arena for their second regular season contest, hoping to improve to 2-0 on the young season.
Auburn is coming off a stellar performance in the season opener, where the Tigers defeated the Southern Illinois Salukis 65-31. The Tigers’ defense stifled the Salukis’ offense, holding them to 20 percent from the field and forcing 29 turnovers. The 31 points allowed to Southern Illinois are the fewest allowed by an Auburn team in the Johnnie Harris Era and the fewest Auburn has allowed since 2015 when the Tigers defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 44-26.
With Monday’s game going into the win column, the Tigers have now won 45 out of their last 46 home openers. Graduate transfer DeYona Gaston led the Tigers in scoring with 14 points, while three other Tigers cracked double figures as well. Taylen Collins, Auburn’s leading returning scorer and rebounder, put up eight points while hauling down a team-leading 11 rebounds.
Virginia-Lynchburg is coming off a 58-point loss at the hands of Georgetown in their season opener. Lady Dragon guard Karrin Purchas had a nice game against the Hoyas, as she logged a stat line of 11 points, six rebounds and three assists, leading the team in each category. Auburn will try to capitalize on their size and athleticism against the Lady Dragons, but Purchas is a player to keep an eye on for Virginia-Lynchburg.
Auburn will look to continue their climb as a program under Johnnie Harris, who is in her fourth year as the Auburn head coach, amassing a 47-45 overall record. The Tigers notched an 8-8 record in the SEC last season, including an upset over No. 7 LSU, earning one of the biggest wins in recent program history. The Tigers also clinched their first NCAA Tournament birth under Coach Harris last season, losing to Arizona in the first four games, marking their first time dancing since the 2018-19 season.
The Tigers welcome four newcomers this season, including two transfers, Taliah Scott and DeYona Gaston, and two true freshmen, Syriah Daniels and Jordan Hunter. Scott, a transfer from Arkansas who averaged 22.1 points per game last season, missed the first game with an injury but is expected to not be sidelined long, potentially adding a big boost to this Auburn team. Jordan Hunter shined in her debut, dishing out six assists and grabbing four rebounds.
The tipoff for the Tigers vs Dragons will be at 6 p.m. Friday on SECN+ and the ESPN app. You can also listen along on WEGL 91.1 FM and on the Auburn Sports Network App.
