Halfway into the conference season, the Auburn women’s basketball team is exceeding expectations.

The Tigers, picked to finish in the middle of the SEC before the season, are in a three-way tie with Kentucky and Georgia for second place behind Tennessee.

They get a head-to-head shot against the No. 16 Wildcats (17-4, 6-2 SEC) tonight at 6 p.m. in Lexington, Ky.

“All the games are big. To be able to go on the road and grab a win or two is very important, so we will do all we can to go on the road this time and win the ballgame,” Auburn coach Nell Fortner said. “The SEC is a tough conference and every game is tough, but I like where we sit right now. We just have to continue taking care of business.”

The Tigers (13-8, 6-2), who won only five conference games all of last season, are coming off a 54-47 win over South Carolina in which they played stifling defense most of the game and point guard Morgan Toles poured in the last 9 points of the game to turn a 2-point deficit into a 7-point win.

Senior guard Alli Smalley recorded four steals in the Auburn victory.

“I have tried to place a lot of focus on the defensive end and being active on the court and I think that where it comes out,” Smalley said. “I try to stay active out there and somehow I come up with different steals and loose balls.”

The Wildcats have the size to give Auburn fits on the inside, especially with 6-foot-1 senior Victoria Dunlap (17.8 ppg, 9.3 rpg), the reigning SEC Player of the Year

“Kentucky has great quickness, speed, they have great depth and they are playing very well right now, so it is going to be a tough battle,” Fortner said.

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