Two years after the two teams faced off in Auburn Arena in 2019, Auburn and Old Dominion are set to face off on the Monarch's home court in Norfolk, Virginia, on Sunday afternoon.
The previous matchup was an 89-77 victory for Old Dominion.
But that was two years ago. Auburn has since moved on from former head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy. Johnnie Harris has taken over a program that ended last season on a 17-game losing streak and went winless in conference play.
Harris is still looking for her first regular-season win of her career, which started last Thursday against Georgia Southern, but that was a 68-66 gut-wrenching defeat.
Still, a few Tigers put up career-best numbers in that game. Sania Wells scored a career-high 19 points, Aichia Coulibaly was on the court longer than she'd ever been and newcomer Paris Mullins had a balanced game in her Auburn debut with eight points and four rebounds in 20 minutes of play.
Old Dominion is coming off a near-30-point victory over South Carolina State, beginning its season with an 80-52 victory.
The Monarchs spread the ball out on offense, with four separate players scoring in double figures in the win. Similar to Georgia Southern, Old Dominion reached the free-throw line around 30 times in its opening game. Auburn, which committed 26 fouls in its opener, will need to play cleaner to prevent a reoccurrence.
Fast breaks and second chances are a few things Auburn will need to protect against when facing this Old Dominion team. It scored a combined 38 points off of fast breaks and second-chance opportunities in its season-opening win.
Harris is facing a challenge in this road game, Old Dominion hasn't had a losing season since 2017-18.
With two of its next three games being on the road after this matchup, a win against the Monarchs could be crucial in building momentum. A loss could set the tone for the season in a bad way, putting the Tigers in a position to lose their 20th straight game when they return home.
Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. CST from Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. The game will be broadcast on ESPN-plus.
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Originally from Helena, Ala., Caleb Jones is a senior studying journalism at Auburn University. He has been on staff with The Plainsman since 2019.
You can follow him here on Twitter: @calebjsports
