Fresh off his first SEC victory as Auburn women’s basketball head coach, Larry Vickers and his Tigers looked to make it two wins in a row taking on rival No. 21 Alabama on Thursday night.
They did just that, taking down the Crimson Tide 58–54 in an electric, back-and-forth showdown at Neville Arena.
“I'm just super proud of my team. I am so proud of them the way they came out from the tip with a different level of intensity,” Vickers said. “I thought they did a tremendous job pressuring the basketball and making that Alabama team work for everything that they got.”
Kaitlyn Duhon (4) attempting to catch a rebound during the Auburn vs Alabama game on Thursday, January 14, 2026.
This loss marks just the second of the season for Kristy Curry and the Crimson Tide. Auburn joins No. 4 South Carolina as the only two teams to knock Alabama off so far.
Khady Leye led the Tigers with 16 points on 46.6% shooting from the field. The sophomore from Louga, Senegal, also added nine rebounds.
With the game coming down to the wire, Alabama had a chance to win or force overtime until Auburn sophomore Syriah Daniels forced an offensive foul to seal the victory for the orange and blue.
“She’s one of our better defenders,” Vickers said of Daniels. “She did an excellent job of being low, sliding over and taking the charge.”
Down the stretch, free throws played a huge role in deciding the contest, and Auburn was lights-out under pressure. The Tigers knocked down all 10 of their free-throw attempts in the fourth quarter, which proved pivotal in a four-point win.
As a team, the Tigers shot 42% from the field and 33.3% from 3-point range against the highly praised Crimson Tide defensive unit.
Head Coach, Larry Vickers upset with a play during the Auburn vs Alabama game on Thursday, January 14, 2026.
The Tigers will have a week off before heading up to Nashville, Tennessee, to take on No. 5 Vanderbilt on January 22nd. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. CST.
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Rory is a sophomore majoring in journalism sports production. He started with The Plainsman in the spring of 2025.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @RorymGarvin
