Auburn women head to East Carolina Sunday

Nov. 19, 2016

AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" The Auburn women's basketball team will look to build on its strong start to the season when the Tigers travel to Greenville, N.C., to face East Carolina at 2:30 p.m. CT Sunday.

The Tigers (2-0) are coming off a 68-36 victory at North Carolina A&T on Thursday. The 32-point win was Auburn's largest margin of victory in a road game since Nov. 11, 2011, when the Tigers beat Mercer by 34 (77-43) in Macon, Ga.

Through two games, Brandy Montgomery leads the Auburn offensive attack with 20.0 points per game, scoring 22 in the opener vs. Troy and 18 at N.C. A&T. But it has been the Tigers' defense that has dominated so far, forcing an average of 32.5 turnovers per contest.

Junior Jessica Jones has been a major contributor defensively, setting career highs with eight rebounds and four blocks at N.C. A&T. She also had a career-high five steals against Troy. Senior Katie Frerking, who led the SEC in steals a year ago, is once again the league leader in swipes, averaging 5.0 steals through two games; she had seven against N.C. A&T.

East Carolina (3-0) plays its fourth straight home game to open the season. The Pirates have wins over UNCW and Detroit Mercy, along with a victory over Division III Greensboro College. ECU has been led by Vanderbilt graduate transfer Kristen Gaffney, who has averaged 24.0 points per game.

This is just the second meeting between Auburn and ECU. The teams met last season at Auburn Arena where the Tigers tied a school record for steals in an 85-69 victory on Dec. 5.

Brit Bowen will have the radio broadcast on WTGR 93.9 FM beginning at approximately 2:15 p.m. CT. Fans can also listen live via TuneIn Radio (link above). The game is not televised, but ECU will have a live stream (see link above).

Sunday's game is the back end of a doubleheader at ECU; the Pirate men are set to face Stetson at 1 p.m., so the start time of Auburn-ECU women could be delayed.

Auburn Quick Hitters

- This is the second of five straight games away from home for Auburn
- Sunday is the second meeting between Auburn and East Carolina
- Auburn won last season's meeting, 85-69, in Auburn on Dec. 5
- This is Auburn's first trip to Greenville, N.C., for women's basketball
- in last season's victory, Auburn tied a school record with 24 steals and forced 33 turnovers
- Auburn coach Terri Williams-Flournoy is 1-1 all-time against East Carolina
- Auburn is 2-0 for the fourth straight season
- Auburn is 24-7 all-time against opponents from the state of North Carolina
- Auburn is 7-5 all-time in games played in North Carolina
- Auburn is 18-10 all-time against current members of the American Athletic Conference
- Auburn's 32-point win over North Carolina A&T was its largest margin of victory in a road game since Nov. 11, 2011 at Mercer (34 points; 77-43)
- Katie Frerking had a career-high 7 steals in the win at N.C. A&T
- Through one week of play, Frerking leads the SEC in steals with 10 (5.0/game)
- Through two games, Jessica Jones has set career-highs in rebounds (8), steals (5) and blocks (4)
- Auburn is in its 46th season of women's basketball and has 884 program wins
- 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)
- The Tigers are 3-4 all-time on Nov. 20 with wins over Troy (1998), Southern (2000) and Florida Gulf Coast (2014)
- Auburn is 127-35 all-time in the month of November; Coach Flo is 19-8 in November at Auburn
- Auburn is 2-0 this season and 30-6 under Coach Flo when forcing 25+ turnovers; Auburn forced 38 vs. Troy and 27 at North Carolina A&T
- Auburn forced 38 turnovers in the win over Troy (11/11), fifth all-time at Auburn and one shy of a school record vs. a Division I opponent
- Auburn's 22 steals vs. Troy were two shy of a school record
- Ekiya Gray, Tyra Johnson, Emari Jones and Tiffany Lewis played in their first Auburn game vs. Troy
- Daisa Alexander made her first appearance at North Carolina A&T
- The Tigers face six non-conference opponents that advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season
- Auburn is 30-2 in home non-conference games under Terri Williams-Flournoy

Last Time Out

ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Sparked by a 25-2 run that spanned most of the second quarter, Auburn pulled away early and cruised to a 68-36 victory at North Carolina A&T Thursday night.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º For the second straight game, the Tigers forced their opponent into 25-plus turnovers, pushing the Aggies into 27 giveaways that turned into 26 Auburn points. The Tigers also held the Aggies to single-digit scoring in three of four quarters.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Brandy Montgomery led the Tigers for the second straight game with 18 points. Katie Frerking added 15 points, at least six rebounds, five assists and a career-high seven steals. Junior Tiffany Lewis found the scoresheet for the first time as a Tiger, knocking down three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to finish with nine points.

Noteworthy

AUBURN-ECU SERIES
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º This is just the second meeting between Auburn and East Carolina.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn won the only prior meeting, an 85-69 victory in Auburn last season.

SCOUTING EAST CAROLINA
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º East Carolina was picked to finish sixth in the American Athletic Conference, coming off a 13-19 season in 2015-16. The Pirates, however, have won 22 straight regular-season home non-conference games, dating back to 2012.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Pirates have a 107-40 win over Division III Greensboro College along with an OT victory over Detroit and a 10-point win over UNCW to their credit so far this season.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Kristen Gaffney was named the AAC Player of the Week last week. She is averaging 24.0 points and shooting 66.0% from the floor through three games to lead the team.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Gaffney is a graduate transfer from Vanderbilt who had 5 points and 5 rebounds off the bench for the Commodores in Auburn's win over Vandy last season.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Of the 12 players on ECU's roster, seven are transfers. Only three players on their roster appeared in last year's Auburn-ECU game.

AUBURN-ECU TIES
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn junior guard Sira Toure and ECU redshirt senior guard Khadijah Toure are sisters. Sira Toure is ineligible to play until the end of the fall semester.

LAST MEETING: AUBURN 85, ECU 69 (12/5/15)
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Katie Frerking scored a career-high 26 points, and coach Terri Williams-Flournoy earned her 200th career head coaching victory as Auburn downed East Carolina 83-69 at Auburn Arena.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers improved on their best start in six years, using a smothering defense to force the Pirates into 33 turnovers. Meanwhile, Auburn shot 52.5 percent from the field and topped the 80-point plateau for the fourth time in seven games.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn built their lead outscoring the Pirates 27-9 in the second quarter, scoring 17 points off eight ECU turnovers in the period. In fact, after Tra'Cee Tanner went to the bench with her second foul with 3:25 left in the first quarter and ECU leading 18-11, Auburn finished the half on a 36-11 run.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn tied a school record with 24 steals in the game, equaling a 24-steal game vs. Tennessee State in 2001. Montgomery's eight steals were the most for an Auburn player since Najat Ouardad had nine against Samford in 2012.

SCOUTING AUBURN
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn is 2-0 after wins over Troy and North Carolina A&T to open the season. The Tigers struggled offensively against Troy but came back with a strong offensive night at NC A&T, shooting 50% from the floor.
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. She is averaging 20.0 through two games this year, scoring 22 vs. Troy and 18 at NC A&T.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Senior Katie Frerking leads the SEC in steals with 5.0/game through two games. She 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 Junior forward Jessica Jones has made the most of the season's first two games, setting career-highs in rebounds (8), steals (5) and blocks (4) already. She has seven blocks through two games.
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 is averaging 32.5 opponent turnovers through two games this year.

Looking Ahead

Auburn will travel from Greenville to Savannah, Ga., for the Savannah Invitational, which runs Tuesday-Thursday. The Tigers will face Ball State on Tuesday, Marist on Wednesday and West Virginia on Thursday.