We turn the Starting Five preview to the women’s side today. In this feature, we’ll give you the anticipated starting lineups for each team, break down keys to a Missouri win and offer up a prediction. Here’s the breakdown of today’s game between Missouri (19-8, 8-5) and Auburn (19-7, 7-6).
OFF THE BENCH: Missouri had 12 bench points in the loss to Tennessee on Feb 27. Freshman Akira Levy led the way with four points and four assists. Missouri had similar contributions from the bench in the first game against Auburn. The Tigers finished with seven points, and four bench players scored. Levy and sophomore Emmanuelle Tahane lead Missouri with 4.9 and 3.9 points a game. They combined for six points in the loss to the Lady Vols.
OFF THE BENCH: Auburn had 13 bench points in the Tigers 74-65 loss to Missouri on Jan 27. Freshman Brooke Moore had 10 points, and redshirt-freshman Kiyaé finished with three points. Auburn’s leading bench scorer, freshman Robyn Benton, only played six minutes in the loss. She averages 5.2 points in conference play. Moore is right behind her and averages 4.3 points through 12 SEC games. The duo combined for 22 points on 54 percent shooting in the 77-38 win over Alabama. Benton is averaging 9 points over her last four games. She has been in double-digits four times in conference play.
TIP TIME INFORMATION
TIPOFF: 2:00 p.m. Central
WHERE: Auburn Arena
TELEVISION: SEC Network+
RADIO: KTGR 1580 AM
KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Rain the Threes. Missouri leads the SEC in three-pointers attempted and the Tigers are shooting 40 percent from deep this season. Also, senior Sophie Cunningham is shooting 49 percent from three in conference play. Auburn is last in the SEC in three-point defense. Teams are shooting 38 percent for beyond the arch against them. The Tigers went 12-26 from deep in the first matchup. Missouri is averaging 8.2 threes over the last five games and Auburn gives up 7.7 threes per game. Cunningham should fire away against Auburn. Cunningham has made a three in nine straight games and is 45 percent from deep during that span.
2. Protect the Basketball. What Auburn lacks in three-point defense, it makes up with forcing turnovers. The Tigers get 12.2 steals a game and are first in the SEC in turnover margin. Starters Daisa Alexander, Janiah McKay, and Crystal Primm combine for 6.7 steals per game. Missouri had 17 turnovers in the first game against Auburn and the Tigers converted that into 20 points. On the other hand, Auburn turned the ball over six times and Missouri only had one point off those turnovers. Auburn is averaging 20.4 points off turnovers in its last five games. Missouri must maximize possessions and limit live-ball turnovers against Auburn. That will be a tough task with Auburn’s full-court zone press. Points off turnovers can be a way for the Tigers to pick up a win at home.
3. Slow down Janiah McKay. ` McKay had a season-high 23 points and nine made field goals in Auburn’s most recent upset victory. She’s been in double-digits in five of her last six games and averaging 3.8 assists during that span. Auburn must force Missouri into sloppy turnovers and McKay will have to control the game offensively. Now that Levy plays a bigger role for the Tigers, it will be interesting to see if she will be guarding McKay more than Aldridge did in the first game. Levy’s quickness and energy make her a better matchup for Missouri.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Missouri dominated Auburn in the first quarter the first time the teams played. The Tigers were up 23-2, then Auburn outscored them by 12 in the final three quarters. Auburn shot 41.9 percent from the field and 50 percent from three, despite starting 1-14 in the first quarter. It would have been a completely different game if Auburn didn’t have a historically bad first ten minutes.
The second matchup between these teams comes with added pressure because of the implications on seeding for the SEC tournament. Missouri is fifth and needs a win over sixth-placed Auburn to keep hopes alive for a top-four finish in the SEC. It’s also senior day for Auburn and that will bring added emotion to what should be a tightly contested game.
McKay had 23 points in the first game, but the Tigers held Auburn’s second-leading scorer Unique Thompson to six points and 3-7 from the field. Thompson had five games with 12 or more points before only scoring seven against Alabama on Feb 17. She had 20 points in two of those games.
Cunningham went off for 30 points and four rebounds. It was the most points she’s scored in conference play and if Missouri wants to escape Auburn Arena with the victory, she’ll need to pick up right where she left off.
PREDICTION: Missouri 71, Auburn 67
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Cunningham went 1-8 from three with 13 points in the loss to Tennessee last Sunday. She had three straight games with 20 or more points before that. Cunningham gets back on track, makes four threes and finished with 23 points in a close Missouri win.
