Auburn women’s basketball continues its road trip this week when the Tigers will travel to Charlottesville, VA, to take on the Virginia Cavaliers in the ACC/SEC challenge this Thursday evening.
The Tigers are 2-3 on its five-game stretch away from Neville Arena, with both wins in the Paradise Jam tournament and a one-point loss to Kansas in their most recent contest.
In the 61-60 loss to Kansas, the Tigers jumped out to a 12-point lead at the half but failed to put away the Jayhawks as S’Mya Nichols hit two free throws with 14 seconds left to deliver Auburn its third loss of the season.
The Cavaliers are returning from the Discover Puerto Rico Shootout, where they defeated Green Bay on day one but suffered back-to-back losses in their next two games.
Virginia is 6-3 on the season but is 5-0 at home and has not played in Charlottesville since November 24.
Last season, Auburn claimed revenge in the ACC/SEC challenge with a 30-point victory over Clemson, who had ended the Auburn Tigers season prior in the second round of the 2022 NIT.
The Cavaliers also won their matchup in last year's challenge and took down Missouri at home 87-81 in overtime.
The two programs have met six times, with the Cavaliers holding a 5-1 lead over the Tigers and a 69-52 win in their most recent matchup in 2015.
Players to watch:
Auburn: DeYonna Gatson
The Texas transfer spent four years with the Longhorns before finding her way to the Plains. She has been a dominant force for the Tigers the entire season.
DeYonna Gatson averages 19.5 points per game and 9.3 rebounds, both in the top ten for the entire conference. She has recorded the highest point total of any SEC player this season with her 36-point performance against Virginia-Lynchburg.
Gatson has been effective on both ends of the floor and has proven to be an excellent pick-up for head coach Johnnie Harris and will be crucial to the Tigers in the ACC/SEC challenge.
Virginia: Kymora Johnson
Kymora Johnson, in her first year with the program, made the second team of the All-ACC as a freshman and now leads the Cavaliers in scoring with 18.8 points per game in her sophomore season.
Johnson is a threat to score from deep and is shooting 47.1% on 3-point attempts this season, which is third in the ACC so far this season.
In addition to her elite scoring ability, the guard has been effective in all areas, recording five rebounds and 4.7 assists per game so far this season.
The Cavaliers will look towards their young star in an attempt to snap their two-game skid and win their second consecutive ACC/SEC challenge matchup.
The Tigers will travel to John Paul Jones Arena for the ACC/SEC challenge and take on the Virginia Cavaliers on Wednesday, Dec. 5. The game will be broadcast on the ACC Network at 5 p.m. CST.
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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
