South Carolina Visits Auburn in SEC Women’s Basketball Clash

AUBURN, Ala. (Interstat) — The South Carolina Gamecocks, riding a wave of dominant victories, face the Auburn Tigers in a Southeastern Conference women’s basketball matchup Thursday at Auburn Arena.

South Carolina (20-2, 8-1 SEC) enters having won nine of its last ten, including a 103-74 rout of Vanderbilt on Sunday. The Gamecocks’ lone conference blemish was an overtime loss at Oklahoma on Jan. 22.

Auburn (13-8, 2-6) seeks to rebound from a 72-65 home loss to Oklahoma that same weekend. The Tigers have struggled in SEC play, with their two league wins coming against Alabama and Florida earlier this month.

Gamecocks forward Madina Okot is a player to watch. The sophomore is coming off a 17-point, 7-rebound performance against Vanderbilt and has posted four double-doubles in SEC action this season, including a 12-point, 17-rebound effort at Florida.

For Auburn, guard A’riel Jackson provides a scoring spark. She tallied a season-high 19 points with five assists in the loss to Oklahoma, showcasing her ability to create offense.

South Carolina’s depth has been overwhelming for most opponents. In the win over Vanderbilt, Ta’Niya Latson scored 21 points and Joyce Edwards added 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Auburn will need a strong defensive effort to slow South Carolina’s balanced attack, which averages 81.2 points per game. The Tigers allow an average of 62.2 points.

The Gamecocks have controlled recent matchups, winning the last 15 meetings. Auburn’s last win in the series came in 2012.

Thursday’s contest is the only scheduled meeting this season between the teams. South Carolina visits Texas A&M on Feb. 2, while Auburn travels to Mississippi on Feb. 1.