Auburn women’s basketball will face its toughest test of the season so far when the Tigers travel west to take on the No. 23 Oregon Ducks in Eugene, OR in a matchup of undefeated teams.
After a 3-0 start and an average margin of victory of 53.3 points, the Tigers will take on their first primary conference opponent, Oregon Ducks, to kick off a six-game road trip.
In the Tigers' most recent matchup, they defeated Little Rock 82-48. They scored 51 points in the second half after only holding a six-point lead at halftime.
The Ducks started the season 5-0, including a close win over No. 12 Baylor earlier in the season. After holding a 62-48 in the fourth quarter, a go-ahead layup with 22 seconds left put the Ducks on top of the Bears for the 76-74 ranked win.
In their most recent game, Oregon took a convincing victory over Grand Canyon 70-54 and held the Lopes to 35% from the field.
Players to watch:
Auburn: Talia Scott
The Arkansas transfer did not debut until the Tigers game against Little Rock, but it was worth the wait. Against Little Rock, Talia Scott scored 26 points while shooting 8-for-14 on 3-point attempts.
Her eight 3-point makes tied a program record, and Scott showed she can make an instant impact on the roster and will be a problem for defenders this season.
After only shooting 29.5% on 3-point attempts in her freshman season at Arkansas, the Tigers hope that Scott has developed the long ball to add to her scoring arsenal. They will need it to take down a ranked Oregon team.
Scott dribbles the ball between her legs as she strategizes her next moves to the basket in the first half of the Auburn vs Little Rock game on Nov. 14, 2024.
Oregon: Deja Kelly
Deja Kelly, the 5-foot-8 graduate guard, has been a critical contributor for the Ducks this season. Kelly currently leads the team in points (11.6) and rebounds (6.8) this season.
The North Carolina transfer, in her final season, has helped lead the Ducks to a 5-0 start, including a 20-point game against No. 12 Baylor.
However, Kelly struggled in her 31 minutes against Grand Canyon. She did not score a point, shot 0-for-9 from the field, and committed a season-high three fouls. But, where she failed on the offensive end, she made her defensive presence felt, grabbing a season-high 11 rebounds.
Auburn will play six games away from Nevile Arena and will return on December 8, when it plays in-state opponent UAB.
This will include two games on the West Coast, beginning with Oregon and ending with Cal. The Tigers will then face a series of three opponents in the US Virgin Islands.
The Tigers look to begin their road trip with a ranked win when the Ducks and Tigers clash in Eugene, OR on Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 8 p.m. CST. The game will be broadcast on BIG10+.
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Craig Noyes is a senior from Kensington, Maryland, majoring in journalism. He joined The Plainsman in January 2023.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @CraigNoyes58
