After a rough outing against the Tennessee Volunteers last Sunday in Knoxville, Auburn women’s basketball returns home to Auburn Arena for a Thursday night showdown with in-state rival Alabama looking to return to winning ways.
Auburn, losers of two straight, currently sits at 10th in the SEC with an 11-5 overall record. Falling behind the pack with 1-2 record in conference play, a win over Alabama Thursday night will be key if the Tigers wish to keep pace in a competitive conference that features seven teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25.
“It’s huge for us to get this win and get back into winning in this conference because we can definitely win in this conference,” said head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy. “We’re a much better team. We’ve got our big three that’s playing well, and they have to continue to play well and everybody’s got to do their part.”
Alabama (12-4, 1-2) split the home-and-home series with the Tigers last season, winning 51-50 in Tuscaloosa and losing 80-73 in Auburn’s regular-season finale. Averaging 12.6 points per game, sharpshooter Hannah Cook has led the charge for the Tide this season while connecting on 39 percent of her 3-point attempts.
“They’re good in a lot of areas,” Williams-Flournoy said. “They’re pressing a little bit more, they’re forcing teams into turnovers, they’ve got kids that can knock down the outside shot. They don’t have the strong presence in the post, but they’ve got strong players in the post that just play big. They’re just a good all-around team.”
For Auburn center Tra’Cee Tanner, who recorded her sixth double-double of the season in the team’s 79-52 loss to Tennessee, a win at home against Alabama would spell perfection. The senior has never lost to the Tide on her home floor.
“It would mean a lot to us and me because I can say we went all four years playing at home and we never lost to Alabama on our court – that means we just took care of our business,” Tanner said.
As for the team as a whole, a fresh start at .500 in the conference would be ideal.
“I think everybody’s ready, everybody’s focused, everybody’s prepared starting on a clean slate,” Tanner said. “We’re not letting anything that has happened hold us back, and we just have to keep in mind that we have to do what we do and do it well going through this SEC conference because everybody’s beatable on any given night.”
And for the freshman new to the rivalry, no further motivation will be needed.
“I shouldn’t have to get them up for this game,” Williams-Flournoy said. “You say we’re playing Alabama, we’re already up for it.”
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