After a commanding win at home in the first round of the WNIT, the Auburn Tigers women’s basketball team heads to Clemson, South Carolina, on Monday to face the Clemson Lady Tigers in the second round of the tournament.
Auburn heads into the matchup after a 73-58 win against Tulane on Friday. Three Tigers scored 15 or more points in the victory over Tulane. Honesty Scott-Grayson led the team with 18 points, followed by 16 points from Kharyssa Richardson and 15 points from Sydney Shaw.
Clemson defeated High Point in the first round of the tournament at home, securing its fourth-straight home victory. Clemson is 12-5 on the season at home, while Auburn is 1-7 in away games this season.
Auburn enters Monday night’s matchup averaging 67 points per game, 4.3 more than Clemson gives up per game. The Tigers are 16-2 in games where they score at least 63 points.
The Tigers are 10th in the SEC in free-throw percentage (67.7%) while Clemson edges Auburn in free-throw percentage, shooting 68.7% from the line.
To win on Monday, Auburn will need to keep Clemson’s Amari Robinson away from the free-throw line. Robinson leads Clemson in made free throws per game, making 2.6 per game and shooting 81.2% from the foul line.
In its win over High Point, Clemson made six 3-pointers. The Lady Tigers’ Daisha Bradford claimed three of Clemson’s made shots from outside, going 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. Bradford’s offensive performance led the Lady Tigers in their victory over High Point, scoring a team high 17 points.
On the defensive end of the court, Auburn’s Scott-Grayson and Aicha Coulibaly will play a key role for the Tigers. Against Tulane, Scott-Grayson managed four steals and Coulibaly grabbed three more, contributing to Tulane’s 22 turnovers.
Auburn averages 9.9 steals per game, while the Clemson Lady Tigers average 17.1 turnovers per game, and Auburn needs to capitalize on the Lady Tigers' turnovers if it wants to win on Monday night.
Robinson and Brie Perpignan will be the players to watch for Clemson. Robinson is Clemson’s leading scorer, averaging 14.1 points per contest, and Perpignan leads the Lady Tigers in passing, averaging 3.2 assists per game.
For Auburn, Scott-Grayson and Shaw will be the Tigers’ difference makers on the offensive end of the court. Scott-Grayson leads the Tigers in made threes per game, making 1.6 of her shots from outside per game. Shaw has stepped up late in the season for the Tigers, averaging 7.3 points per game. Shaw went 7-for-14 in the Tigers’ victory over Tulane.
With the Super 16 on the line, Auburn looks to grab its second road win of the season as Clemson seeks to keep its home winning streak alive.
The second round WNIT matchup between Clemson and Auburn will tip off Monday at 6 p.m. CST and will be televised on ACC Network.
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Grace Heim is a junior from Enterprise, Alabama, majoring in English Literature. She started with The Plainsman in January 2023.
