The No. 7 Texas Longhorns travel to Auburn, AL Thursday evening to face the Auburn Tigers in this conference matchup.
The Tigers come into this one as heavy underdogs following five straight losses, including four conference losses in that span, but hope to turn the corner and earn their first SEC win of the season.
Auburn Head Coach, Johnnie Harris, will have to rely on the play of DeYona Gaston and Taliah Scott to will the Tigers to victory, as both players are averaging over 20 points per game this season.
Gaston, who transferred to Auburn from Texas this offseason, is averaging 22.3 points and 8.4 rebounds a game while shooting an impressive 52.7% from the field. She enters this game averaging the eighth most points per game in the country and hopes to increase that margin against her foes in the Longhorns on Thursday.
Taliah Scott, who is picking up nicely where she left off last season, is a threat anywhere on the court and can score in bunches. The sophomore guard from Orange Park, FL is shooting 50% from the three point line and will need to be hot from behind the arc if the Tigers hope to keep this game close.
Texas has deservingly earned their No. 7 national ranking, defeating three Top-12 opponents in the country so far this season. The Longhorns have the 5th ranked scoring offense in the country, averaging 88.2 points per game this season as a squad. If the Tigers want to make this game competitive, they must be able to effectively press Texas’ ball handlers and force them to make uncharacteristic turnovers.
Watch for Texas’ Madison Booker and Rori Harmon to be facilitating most of the team's offense on Thursday as both players have contributed greatly to the teams success so far this season. The Longhorns have a deep roster, with 12 players regularly getting playtime in each matchup. If the Longhorns can create a lead that will give them the opportunity to give their starters rest, the Texas Longhorns will give the Auburn Tigers a difficult test if the Tigers want to spoil their trip east.
Coverage for this game can be found on SEC Network+ with tipoff at 6:00pm CST.
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Charlie is a sophomore from Mendham, New Jersey. He is majoring in journalism and started with The Plainsman in spring 2024.
