Auburn women’s basketball travels to Coleman Coliseum this Sunday and seeks redemption against No. 18 Alabama. The rivalry win would be the first victory for the Tigers since Feb. 6 against Texas A&M at Neville Arena and their fourth win of SEC play. Auburn continues to try and snap their six-game losing streak on the road.
The Tigers, now 12-14 (3-10 in conference play), are coming off a three-game losing streak following the 98-88 comeback win for Vanderbilt this past Sunday. Despite Yuting Deng’s outstanding game and career-high 27 points, the Tigers fell short, being outscored 14-4 in overtime.
The Alabama Crimson Tide are 21-6 and have had more success in conference play (8-5), despite a narrow loss to No. 15 Tennessee on Thursday. Alabama ranks third nationally in three-point percentage, shooting 39.1 percent from beyond the arc and recently shot 41 percent against Tennessee. The Tide also averages 79 points per game to the Tigers’ 70 points per game. To be successful against Alabama, Auburn must improve three-point shooting and match up against Alabama’s strong defense.
Players to Watch:
Auburn:
Yuting Deng:
Deng is coming off a hot game against Vandy, putting up 27 points, nine rebounds, and shot roughly 42 percent from the field and 40 percent from three. She averages 12.5 points a game, 3.1 rebounds, 38.3 percent from three and shoots 82.4 percent from the free-throw line in only eight games on the season.
Deyona Gatson:
Gatson is also coming off a highly efficient game where she put up 25 points and shot 82 percent from the field against Vandy. Her 22.1 points per game ranks her eighth in the country and first on the team. Gatson also averages a team-high seven rebounds, shoots 54 percent from the field and 40 percent from beyond the arc.
Alabama:
Sarah Ashlee Barker:
Barker is fresh off hitting the 1,500 career point mark after putting up double-digits against Tennessee on Thursday. She averages 17.2 points per game and since coming back from injury on Jan. 26, averages 20.8 points per game. This ranks her 74th in the country and first for Bama. Barker was also recently named the 2025 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Women’s College Players of the Year Midseason Team, which Bama announced on Feb. 12.
Aaliyah Nye:
Recently, Nye has tied the program record for most three-pointers made with 272. She averages 14.1 points per game, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists. In Alabama’s game against Florida on Feb. 6, Nye made nine three-pointers breaking the franchise record for most threes in a game. This broke her own record of eight threes, which was shared with seven former Tide players.
Last time the two teams faced off, the Crimson Tide came out on top with a final score of 67-61. A potential win from Auburn would be the first time the Tigers beat the Tide in Tuscaloosa since the 2018-2019 season. The contest between Auburn and Alabama is slated for 4 p.m. CST inside Coleman Coliseum with television coverage on SEC network.
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Emma is a sophomore majoring in journalism-sports production. She started with The Plainsman in the spring of 2025.
