Fresh off a win over Gardner-Webb on Tuesday night, Auburn women’s basketball hits the road for the first time this season on Saturday. The undefeated Tigers travel to Houston to face the Cougars in the Fertitta Center at noon.
With only five returning members of last year’s team, head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy has found some serious depth in the team made up mostly of transfers and freshmen. In the previous game against Gardner-Webb, every Tiger found themselves on the floor at some point in the game. All but two scored a basket in the 97-61 win.
It’s going to be important for the Tigers as they hit the road to continue this offensive surge. Houston has not been great defensively this season, allowing 86.5 points per game in the two games they’ve played. The Tigers showed on Tuesday that they don’t need to hit 3-pointers to rack up the points either. They made just two 3-point shots all night.
The Cougars’ offense opened the season hot against Oklahoma, putting 97 points on the scoreboard against the Sooners in its 12-point win. It regressed in its second game against Alabama though, scoring just 66 points. The offense is led by redshirt sophomore Britney Onyege, who averages 17.5 points per game.
Off the glass in the rebounding category, the two teams compare rather evenly. Houston averages 41.5 rebounds per game, while Auburn averages 41.7 rebounds per game. Auburn’s leading rebounder Unique Thomspon will face off against the likes of Houston’s Daphane White and Julia Blackshell-Fair. The duo is responsible for nearly 30% of the Cougar’s rebounds.
White, who is listed at 6-foot 5-inches, holds a slight height advantage over Thompson, who is listed at 6-foot 3-inches. Auburn scored a majority of its points on Tuesday in the paint, but with White down low, it will come a lot more difficult against Houston.
That’s where the traditional Flournoy defense will need to come into play if the Tigers are to continue their undefeated season. The Cougars attempt an average of 27.5 3-point shots per game compared to Auburn’s 18.7 attempts per game. The Tigers will need to shut down the perimeter, force the Cougars inside and continue forcing turnovers.
Alabama scored 22 points off of Houston’s 15 turnovers on Sunday, which ended up being the difference in the game. Auburn gets just over 20 of its offensive points off of turnovers alone.
The game is set to tip-off at noon CST on Saturday and will be broadcast on ESPN+. It is also available to be heard via radio on WTGZ 95.9 FM.
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