Auburn women open 2016-17 season vs. Troy

Nov. 10, 2016

AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Auburn opens its 46th season of women's basketball Friday night as they host the Troy Trojans as part of a men's/women's doubleheader at Auburn Arena. Tip is set for 5:30 p.m. with the men's game vs. North Florida to follow at 8:30 p.m.

Gates will open at 4:30 p.m., and tickets for both the men's game and women's game will be accepted for admission until halftime of the women's game. After that, fans must have a ticket for the men's game to enter the arena. See below for parking information.

The Tigers return four starters and eight letterwinners from the 2015-16 team that finished 20-13 overall, 8-8 in SEC play, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. It was the best season at Auburn under coach Terri Williams-Flournoy and the most wins for an Auburn team since 2009. Included in last year's record were two wins over nationally ranked opponents, including a rally from a 17-point deficit to upset No. 7 Kentucky on Jan. 3.

Overall, Auburn returns four of its top five scorers from last season - senior Brandy Montgomery (14.0 ppg), senior Katie Frerking (11.7 ppg), sophomore Janiah McKay (9.2 ppg) and junior Jazmine Jones (5.6 ppg). The Tigers return 76.4 percent of their scoring, 71.1 percent of their rebounds, 84.3 percent of their steals and 79.0 percent of their minutes played from a year ago.

Montgomery also led the team from long distance with 54 made 3-pointers. Frerking was Auburn's leading scorer in SEC play with 12.6 points per game, and she also led the SEC in steals with 81 (2.5/game) and is Auburn's leading returning rebounder (5.1/game).

Defense continues to be a priority for Coach Flo's Tigers ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Auburn has averaged 11.0 steals/game and 20.0 opponent turnovers/game in four years under Williams-Flournoy. In 2015-16, the Tigers ranked ninth in the nation in steals per game (11.2) and 13th in turnovers forced (21.1). The Tigers held six SEC opponents ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" five of whom advanced to the NCAA Tournament ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" to their lowest or second-lowest scoring totals of the season in 2015-16.

Andy Burcham returns for his 29th season as the voice of Auburn women's basketball, and the broadcast can be heard locally on 93.9 WTGR-FM. Fans can also listen online at AuburnTigers.com and via TuneIn Radio. Brad Law and Paul Ellen will have the call on the SEC Network + broadcast, available via WatchESPN.com or the ESPN app on mobile devices.

Women's basketball season tickets are still available, as well as mini-packs and single-game tickets. Fans can purchase tickets at the Auburn Arena box office, online at AUBTix.com, or by phone at 1-855-282-2010.

Promotions

- CAMO SOCKS: Free digital camo socks for the first 300 students!
- VETERANS DAY: Free general admission ticket for all active and retired military (with military ID)!
- BEAT BAMA FOOD DRIVE: Free general admission ticket with donation of two non-perishable food items!
- SCHEDULE MAGNETS/KEY TAGS: Free to the first 2,000 fans!
- Season ticket-holders can pick up their exclusive t-shirts

Parking/Ticket Information for Doubleheader

With Friday's game being part of a doubleheader with the Auburn men's team, men's basketball parking regulations are in effect. Fans must have an S Lot pass to park in the main arena lot off S. Donahue Drive. Free public parking is available in the East Coliseum lot, Stadium Deck (1st/2nd levels only), Old Track, and others within close proximity to Auburn Arena. For more parking information and a full list of available lots, click here.

Tiger Transit will run a free shuttle from the Facilities lot (1161 Samford Ave.) and the Stadium Deck. The shuttle will begin running at 4:30 p.m. and will continue throughout both games. Accessible parking is in the CDV lot, and it will open with cart service beginning at 4:30 p.m.

Tickets to the women's game will be sold until halftime of the women's game. Tickets for both games will be accepted for admission from 4:30 p.m. through the end of the women's game; after that, fans must have a ticket to the men's game to enter the arena.

A men's basketball ticket will grant entry into the arena for the women's game; however, you may not have access to your specific seat if it is sold as a season ticket for the women's game. Fans in attendance for the women's game will be allowed to stay for the men's game; however, they must move to standing-room areas if they do not have a ticket for the men's game.

The scholarship terrace will be cleared after the women's game to enable the caterer to set up for the pre-game meal prior to tip-off of the men's game.

Auburn Quick Hits

- Auburn is 37-8 all-time in season-openers and 25-3 when opening the season at home
- The Tigers have won 25 straight home openers with the last loss coming in 1977
- Auburn is in its 46th season of women's basketball and has 882 program wins
- This is the 36th meeting all-time between Auburn and Troy; the Tigers hold a 33-2 series lead
- Auburn has won the last 16 meetings against Troy and is 22-0 all-time against the Trojans at home
- Auburn won the last meeting, 71-54, in the 2014-15 season opener on Nov. 14, 2014
- Auburn is 90-13 all-time against current members of the Sun Belt Conference
- Auburn returns four starters and eight letterwinners from its 2015-16 team
- The Tigers advanced to the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament after finishing 20-13 overall (8-8 SEC)
- This is the second meeting between Terri Williams-Flournoy and Chanda Rigby (Coach Flo is 1-0)
- Auburn is 246-61 all-time against in-state opponents
- The Tigers are 2-0 all-time on Nov. 11 with wins over Mercer (2011) and Detroit (2007)
- Auburn is 125-35 all-time in the month of November; Coach Flo is 17-8 in November at Auburn
- The Tigers face six non-conference opponents that advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season
- Auburn is 29-2 in home non-conference games under Terri Williams-Flournoy
- Senior Brandy Montgomery is Auburn's leading returning scorer at 14.0 points/game in 2014-15
- Montgomery was selected to the preseason All-SEC Second Team by the league's coaches
- Senior Katie Frerking led the SEC in steals in 2015-16, averaging 2.5/game
- Coach Terri Williams-Flournoy begins her fifth season at Auburn, her 13th as a head coach, and her 25th overall in college coaching
- Auburn has averaged more than 20.0 forced turnovers per game under Coach Flo
- For the fifth straight year, Auburn's roster features a set of sisters in junior twins Jazmine and Jessica Jones
- A total of 21 Auburn games will be televised by SEC Network and SEC Network +
- Auburn was picked to finish sixth in the SEC by the league's coaches and seventh by regional and national media
- The Tigers have advanced to the postseason 24 times in program history and in seven of the last 10 seasons

Last Time Out

ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn got offensive production from its "Big Three," but the fourth-ranked and top-seeded Baylor Lady Bears were too much as the Tigers' 2015-16 season ended with an 84-52 loss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º A seven-win improvement over its 2014-15 record, exceeding expectations after being picked to finish 13th out of 14 in the SEC and an NCAA Tournament berth for the first time since 2009 were just a few of the high points Auburn took from its season finale.

Noteworthy

AUBURN-TROY SERIES
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn and Troy have met 35 times previously with the Tigers holding a 33-2 advantage in the series. The Tigers are 22-0 against the Trojans at home.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn has won 15 straight meetings between the teams, dating back to 1980.

SCOUTING TROY
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Troy finished the 2015-16 season at 20-13 overall is the defending Sun Belt Tournament champion. The Trojans played in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, falling to eventual Final Four team Oregon State.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Last season, the Trojans averaged 80.2 points per game, which ranked seventh in the NCAA. Troy also played tough defense, forcing opponents into 21.7 turnovers per game to rank fifth nationally.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Troy returns four starters, two of whom were named to the preseason All-Sun Belt Team: senior forward Caitlyn Ramirez and senior guard Arjae' Saunders. The Trojans must replace Ashley Beverly-Kelly, the school's all-time steals leader and second all-time leading scorer.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Saunders is the Trojans' leading returning scorer with 12.4 ppg last season, and Ramirez lead the team in rebounds with 7.0 per game.

LAST MEETING: AUBURN 71, TROY 54 (11/14/14)
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Tra'Cee Tanner had her fourth career double-double, and Auburn used a huge run around halftime to earn a season-opening 71-54 win over Troy at Auburn Arena.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers forced Troy into 29 turnovers while amassing 22 steals on the night, falling just two swipes shy of a school record.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Tanner led the way both shooting and on the boards, scoring 16 points and pulling down 10 rebounds to earn her first double-double since posting 14 points and 10 boards at Tennessee last season.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn led for more than 37 minutes on the night, but the big run came just before and just after halftime. The Tigers outscored the Trojans 16-0 over the final 2:24 of the first half and the first 1:32 of the second stanza, opening up an 18-point lead. Troy would get no closer than 14 points the rest of the way.

SCOUTING AUBURN
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn returns four starters and eight letterwinners from its 2015-16 team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers finished 20-13 overall, 8-8 in SEC play.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Senior Brandy Montgomery returns as the Tigers' leading scorer the last two years. Montgomery averaged 14.0 points per game as a junior and was named to the preseason All-SEC Second Team by the league's coaches.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Senior Katie Frerking was the SEC's leader in steals as a junior, averaging 2.5 steals per game. She also averaged 11.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, and was the team's leader in assists with 3.1 per game.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Sophomore point guard Janiah McKay and junior forward Jazmine Jones are the Tigers' other two returning starters. McKay played in all 33 games last year, starting 19, and averaged 9.2 points and 2.3 assists per game. She scored a career-high 24 points to lead Auburn to an NCAA first-round win over St. John's. Jones started all 33 games as a sophomore and had one of the best shooting percentages on the team, shooting 51.5% from the floor.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Pressure defense remains a staple of Coach Flo's strategy as the Tigers forced an average of 20.0 turnovers per game in her first four seasons.

AUBURN IN SEASON OPENERS
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º In 45 previous seasons, Auburn has put together a 37-8 record in season openers (home or away) and sports a 24-3 record when opening the season at home.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers are winners of their last 25 home season openers with the last time Auburn lost being a 71-56 loss to Talladega in the 1977-78 opener.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy is 4-0 in season-openers at Auburn. She holds a 9-3 record in season-openers as a head coach, winning her last seven.

NEW FACES
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn welcomes five newcomers to the roster for 2016-17, with two freshmen, one sophomore and two juniors.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Joining the Tigers to compete this season are freshman G Daisa Alexander (Decatur, Ga.); freshman G Tyra Johnson (Decatur, Ala.); sophomore G Emari Jones (Chicago, Ill.); and junior F Ekiya Gray (Houston, Texas).
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Junior C Justice Wright (Macon, Ga.) transferred to Auburn from Clemson during the offseason, but she will be ineligible for the 2016-17 season due to NCAA transfer rules.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Junior G Sira Toure (Kennewick, Wash.) will be eligible to compete beginning with the second semester this season. She transferred to Auburn in January 2016.

Looking Ahead

Auburn travels to Greensboro, N.C., to face North Carolina A&T on Thursday, Nov. 17. Tip is set for 4:30 p.m. CT at the Corbett Sports Center. The game is not televised but Andy Burcham will have the radio call on 93.9 WTGR-FM.