Gators Set For SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament: Scouting Auburn In Opening Round
The Florida women’s basketball team is set to tip off its SEC Tournament run with a first-round showdown against Auburn (12-17) Wednesday at Bon Secours Wellness Center in Greenville, S.C., where the Gators (14-16) enter the tournament as the No. 11 seed. Here is a look into the Tiger team.
History of the Matchup
This is the 68th matchup between Auburn and Florida and the Tigers dominate with a 41-26 advantage in all-time meetings. The Tigers are 8-3 against the Gators in the SEC Tournament. In their last meeting on Jan. 26th, the Tigers defeated the Gators to defend its home court 74 -51.
Auburn Key Players
Graduate student DeYona Gaston ranks eighth in the nation for points scored and third in the SEC, averaging 22.5 points per game. Beyond that, she averages 7.4 rebounds per game and has scored 20 or more points in 16 games this season. Gaston was named SEC Player of the Week following her dominant performance against the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Alabama State earlier this season. Additionally, she set a Neville Arena record for an Auburn player with an astonishing 36 points in a game against Virginia University-Lynchburg.
Named to the SEC All-Freshman Team, guard Yuting Deng has been a dominant force for the Tigers. In a win against Vanderbilt earlier this season, she scored a career-high 27 points, which is the most by any Tiger freshman in an SEC game since 1983.
Senior point guard Mar’Shaun Bostic has been on a roll averaging 6 assists per game, which ranks third in SEC and 13th nationally. Bostic set her career high in assists with 11 in the win against Florida.
What This Means for Auburn
If the Tigers secure a win Wednesday night against the Gators, they would snap a six-game losing streak. Additionally, it would stretch the win streak against the Gators to four. For the Tigers, this will be their 46th appearance in the tournament, where they hold a 40-43 all-time record. Auburn holds four SEC titles, dating back to 1981, 1987, 1990 and 1997. For Johnnie Harris, this will be her fourth appearance in the tournament in the head coach position.
Coverage of the game will be on the SEC Network with tip-off set for 8:30 p.m. The winner of the matchup will face No. 19 Alabama in the second round Thursday.