CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The Auburn Tigers (5-3) will travel to Charlottesville, Virginia, on Thursday to take on the Virginia Cavaliers (6-3) in this year’s SEC/ACC Challenge.
The Tigers are returning from playing in the Paradise Jam in Saint Thomas, US Virgin Islands over Thanksgiving. The Tigers went 2-1 in the tournament, defeating Northern Iowa on a DeYona Gaston buzzer-beater and Pitt in a blowout. Auburn’s lone loss in the tournament came in their last game, a 61-60 defeat to the Kansas Jayhawks, and the Tigers will be looking to return to their winning ways on American soil.
Auburn is no stranger to the ACC, defeating Clemson last season 83-53 in what was the largest margin of victory by any team, men or women, in the SEC/ACC challenge. The Tigers will look to lean on graduate senior DeYona Gaston who is averaging 19.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, leading the team in both categories. Gaston scored a career-high 36 points in a win against Virginia University-Lynchburg earlier this season, setting a new Neville Arena record.
Virginia is coming off a tough showing in the Puerto Rico Shootout, going 1-2 in the Caribbean. However, the Hoos are one of the nation's top shot-blocking and rebounding teams in the country, averaging 46.0 rebounds and 5.8 blocks per game. The Cavaliers' leading scorer is Kymora Johnson, a sophomore guard who averages 18.8 points per game and will be a handful for Coach Johnnie Harris’s squad.
Tipoff for the Tigers and Cavaliers is set for 6 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on the ACC Network. You can also follow along on the ESPN app or listen on the Auburn Sports Network.
