Auburn women’s basketball started the season with a victory over Southern Illinois on Monday, Nov. 11. The Tigers look to keep the momentum rolling with their second game of the season against Virginia University of Lynchburg.
The Tigers opened the first game of their season with a slow start, taking just an 8-7 lead after the first quarter over Southern Illinois. However, Auburn outscored the Salukis 57-24 over the next three quarters for a 65-31 victory.
The game marked Auburn’s third consecutive season-opening victory. The program's last loss in a season opener was to Georgia Southern in 2021.
Virginia University-Lynchburg, a Division II school, will be the potential 999th win in program history and one of three non-power four schools the Tigers will play before their trip to Eugene, Oregon, to take on the Oregon Ducks later this month.
Here are the Tigers to watch ahead of Friday's game.
Auburn: Audia Young
Audia Young is the daughter of former Auburn Tiger and All-American Carolyn Jones-Young, a two-time SEC Player of the Year with two Final Four appearances and, after only appearing in 13 games last season, Young redshirted.
With the absence of Honesty Scott-Grayson, Auburn has turned to a guard-by-committee approach, which allowed Young to record 11 minutes against Southern Illinois.
Young scored 11 points off the bench and made three 3-point attempts, two rebounds and four steals in her limited action.
Auburn ranked 262nd nationally in 3-point shooting in the 2023-24 season, and if Young can consistently shoot from behind-the-arc, she will see an increase in minutes throughout the season and be a contributor down the line for the Tigers.
Auburn: DeYona Gatson
After spending four seasons at Texas, DeYona Gatson transferred to Auburn for her final year of eligibility, seeking a more significant role. Gatson started 60 games between her sophomore and junior years, but in her final year with the Longhorns, she only made four starts.
In her debut with the Tigers, Gatson scored 14 points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked two shots.
The veteran presence will be an essential piece for fourth-year head coach Johnnie Harris, who has been gathering talent to continue rebuilding the Auburn program. With the help of an experienced forward, Gatson will have all the opportunities she was looking for to help continue the program's rise.
While SEC play will not begin until January, the Tigers have a handful of non-conference games lined up, including five against Power Four opponents that will take them on road trips to Oregon, Cal and Virginia. They will also play in the Paradise Jam tournament in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where they are scheduled to play Northern Iowa, Pitt and Kansas.
Auburn will continue its early home stretch of games this Friday against Division II opponent Virginia University of Lynchburg in Neville Arena. The game will tipoff at 6 p.m. CST and can be streamed on SEC Network+.
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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
