Head coach Johnnie Harris and her Auburn Tigers enter the Southeastern Conference Tournament as the seventh seed. They will face No. 10 Arkansas in the second round on Thursday, March 7, in Greenville, South Carolina.
The Tigers are coming into the SEC Tournament on a three-game winning streak with wins over Texas A&M, Mississippi State and Florida. However, it’s a different story for the Razorbacks, who are coming to Greenville with a four-game losing streak on their back.
Earlier this season, the Tigers traveled to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to face the Razorbacks in February – where Arkansas defended its home court with a 74-72 win.
With the Razorbacks’ lethal offense, it will be crucial that the Tigers’ defense is on their A-game on Thursday night, especially in the second half. During its last meeting, Auburn held a nine-point lead going into the half, but Arkansas came out swinging, adding 31 to the board in the third quarter while holding Auburn to 11 points.
To avoid a repeat, the Tigers must be consistent throughout the game, and with help from defensive leaders Taylen Collins, Kaitlyn Duhon and JaMya Mingo-Young, Auburn stands a chance.
Collins leads the defensive front with 103 defensive rebounds – 184 total rebounds – 20 blocks and 48 steals. Mingo-Young matches 103 defensive rebounds and adds 41 steals to the stat sheet, alongside Duhon’s 50 defensive rebounds and 33 steals.
This season, Auburn’s offense averages 67 points per game while shooting 41% from the field, 29% beyond the arc and 71% at the free-throw line. However, in the last five games, the Tigers’ offense has been on a hot streak with a 42% field goal percentage while shooting 36% beyond the arc and 69% at the charity stripe.
Veteran guard Honesty Scott-Grayson leads the charge with her average of 18.3 points per game, accompanied by her 42% shooting from the field, 31% from beyond the arc and 78% at the free-throw line. Scott-Grayson was selected to the All-SEC First Team because of her strong offensive ability, as she was the SEC’s second-leading scorer behind LSU’s Angel Reese.
Graduate guard Mingo-Young adds depth to Auburn’s offense with her 8.9 points per game and shoots 37% from the field, 33% from beyond the arc and 85% at the free-throw line.
Comparatively, Arkansas’ offense averages 70.4 points per game with a 38% field goal percentage, 30% from three-point range and 73% at the free-throw line, but in its last five games, has shot lower than average with 35% shooting from the field, 24% from deep and 70% at the free-throw line.
The Razorbacks’ youngster Taliah Scott leads the team on the offensive front with 41% shooting from the field, 30% from beyond the arc and 84% at the free-throw line – averaging 22.1 points per game. Scott was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team after her electric first year.
Veteran guard Samara Spencer is another offensive weapon for Arkansas, averaging 14 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Spencer hits on 34% of her shots from the field and shoots 74% from the free-throw line.
Maryam Dauda, Saylor Poffenbarger and Makayla Daniels dominate the defensive front, with Poffenbarger being an absolute monster on the court.
Poffenbarger leads the SEC in defensive rebounds with 283 – LSU's Anneesah Morrow trails by 86 with 197 – and is the second-leading rebounder with 337 total rebounds. The 6-foot-2 guard adds 41 steals and 34 blocks to the stat sheet.
Dauda contributes 73 blocks – leading the SEC – 23 steals and 122 defensive rebounds alongside Daniels’ 51 steals and 94 defensive rebounds.
Auburn and Arkansas' showdown will be broadcast on the SEC Network and 100.3 FM at 5 p.m. CST. Whoever wins this matchup will move on to face Kim Mulkey’s No. 8 LSU Tigers in the quarterfinals.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
Caitlyn Griffin is a sophomore from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in journalism. She started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
Twitter: @caitlyngrif99
