Women's hoops returns home to face Indiana Sunday

Nov. 25, 2016

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AUBURN, Ala. -- The Auburn women's basketball team returns home for the first time since the season opener as the Tigers welcome the Indiana Hoosiers to Auburn Arena at 1 p.m. Sunday.

The Tigers (5-1) are coming off a 2-1 week at the Savannah Invitational that saw Auburn pick up wins over Ball State and Marist and drop a hard-fought contest to 19th-ranked West Virginia in the championship game Thanksgiving night.

Auburn's defense has been its strength so far, ranking in the top 10 in the nation in turnovers forced (2nd - 29.0/game), scoring defense (6th - 47.8 ppg) and steals (7th - 15.5/game). The Tigers have held all six opponents below their season scoring average, and five of the six have been at least 20 points below their average.

Senior Katie Frerking looks to keep her hot streak going as she has posted double-doubles in three of the last four games. She had 10 points and 13 rebounds in last Sunday's win at ECU, 13 points and 10 rebounds in Tuesday's win over Ball State, and 18 points and 10 rebounds in the tough loss to West Virginia. Frerking is second on the team in scoring (12.7 ppg) and leads the Tigers in rebounds (9.2/game).

Indiana (4-1) played just once last week, defeating UMass Lowell at home. The Hoosiers are 1-1 on the road, earning a close win at UT-Chattanooga before falling at Western Kentucky last week. Indiana was 21-12 last season, finishing fourth in the Big Ten and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in its first appearance since 2002.

Sunday's game is the first meeting between Auburn and Indiana in women's basketball.

Andy Burcham will have the radio broadcast on WTGZ 93.9 FM beginning at 12:45 p.m. CT. Fans can also listen live via TuneIn Radio or the above link to AuburnTigers.com. SEC Network has the broadcast with Brenda VanLengen and Carol Ross calling the action; fans can also watch online via WatchESPN.com or the ESPN app on mobile devices.

Promotions

- Thanksgivaway - Free mini-pies to the first 250 fans!
- Auburn Global/International Student Day
- Season ticket holder t-shirt pickup in Scholarship Lobby

Auburn Quick Hitters

- As of Nov. 24, Auburn ranks 2nd in the nation in turnovers forced (29.0/game), 7th in the nation in steals (15.5/game), and sixth in scoring defense (47.8 ppg)
- Auburn has held five of six opponents at least 20 points below their season scoring average
- Auburn plays its second home game of the season after five straight games on the road
- This is the first meeting between Auburn and Indiana
- Indiana is the second Big Ten team to visit Auburn Arena (Purdue, 2011-12)
- Auburn is 30-2 in home non-conference games under Terri Williams-Flournoy and 39-6 in all non-conference games at Auburn Arena
- Auburn is 5-1 for the second straight season
- Auburn is 7-4 all-time against opponents from Indiana; defeated Ball State 54-40 last week
- Auburn is 24-13 all-time against current members of the Big Ten Conference
- Auburn is 5-0 this season and 33-6 under Coach Flo when forcing 25+ turnovers; Auburn forced 38 vs. Troy, 27 at North Carolina A&T, 30 at East Carolina, 27 vs. Ball State, 30 vs. Marist
- Katie Frerking leads Auburn in rebounds (9.2), assists (3.3) and steals (3.0) and is second in scoring (12.7)
- Frerking has double-doubles in three of her last four games; she had two in her career entering the season
- Frerking is second in the SEC in steals per game (3.0) and first in total steals (18)
- Frerking had a career-high 7 steals in the win at N.C. A&T
- Frerking had her third career double-double at East Carolina with 10 points and career-high 13 rebounds
- Brandy Montgomery is Auburn's scoring leader through six games with 14.2 points/game
- 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)
- Jessica Jones set career-highs in rebounds (8), steals (5) and blocks (4) in the first two games; she bettered her rebounding high with 9 against Marist and matched her blocks high with 4 vs. West Virginia
- Auburn is in its 46th season of women's basketball and has 887 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)
- Auburn is 130-36 all-time in the month of November; Coach Flo is 22-9 in November at Auburn

Last Time Out

>> Auburn fought back from a 14-point second-quarter deficit and pushed No. 19 West Virginia to the final seconds, but the Tigers fell just short in a 56-52 loss Thanksgiving night in the Savannah Invitational championship game.
>> Katie Frerking was named to the All-Tournament Team after recording her third double-double in four games with 18 points and 10 rebounds. She knocked down five 3-pointers on the night to tie a career-high, and she also grabbed three steals.
>> Janiah McKay contributed 15 points to the Auburn effort, including a 5-for-6 night at the free-throw line. Sanders pulled down four rebounds and had a team-high four steals in 17 minutes off the bench.
>> Auburn again struggled from the field, shooting 27.6 percent for the night (16-of-58) but solid free-throw shooting -- 15-for-20 (75%) -- kept the Tigers in the game and helped spur the comeback in the second quarter. WVU out-rebounded Auburn 42-39, but Auburn had a season-low 14 turnovers and forced the Mountaineers into a season-high 22.

Noteworthy

AUBURN-INDIANA SERIES
>> This is the first meeting between Auburn and Indiana in women's basketball.
>> Auburn is 24-13 all-time against current members of the Big Ten Conference. After Sunday, Michigan State will be the only remaining Big Ten team Auburn has never faced.

SCOUTING INDIANA
>> Indiana enters Sunday's game 5-1 with wins over Presbyterian, Vanderbilt, Chattanooga and UMass Lowell and a loss at Western Kentucky.
>> In their last game, Indiana downed UMass Lowell 79-45 as Alexis Gassion scored 18 points, Amanda Cahill had 15 and Tyra Buss added 14.
>> Indiana averages 79.4 points/game and outscores its opponent by an average of 18.6 points/game. The Hoosiers shoot 49.1% from the floor and have been steady with the ball, committing just 10.8 turnovers/game.
>> Junior guard Tyra Buss leads the Hoosiers with 17.4 points per game and has hit double-digits in 42 consecutive games. Amanda Cahill is IU's leading rebounder with 7.6 per game.
>> Last season, Indiana went 21-12 and made its fifth all-time NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2002, advancing to the second round. Head Coach Teri Moren was named Big Ten Coach of the Year as the Hoosiers finished fourth in the Big Ten, their best in 18 years. IU was picked third in the BIg Ten this year.

SCOUTING AUBURN
>> Auburn is 5-1 to open the season. The Tigers won their first five games before dropping a 56-52 decision to #19 West Virginia in the Savannah Invitational championship game.
>> 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.
>> Senior Brandy Montgomery is the Tigers' leading scorer, averaging 14.2 points per game. She averaged 14.0 points per game as a junior and was named to the preseason All-SEC Second Team by the league's coaches. Her season-high is 22 points vs. Troy in the season-opener.
>> Senior Katie Frerking is second in the SEC in steals with 3.0 per game through six games. She has the most total steals in the league with 18. Frerking has posted three double-doubles in the last four games and leads the team with 9.2 rebounds/game, which ranks fifth in the SEC.
>> Junior forward Jessica Jones has been a force defensively for the Tigers, posting a career-high four blocks twice already this year and pulling down a career-high 9 rebounds vs. Marist. She also had five steals in the opener vs. Troy and leads the team in field-goal percentage (.529).
>> 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.
>> 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 29.0 opponent turnovers through six games and has forced 27 or more in five of six contests.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
>> Auburn is holding opponents to 47.8 points per game, ranking the Tigers fifth nationally in scoring defense. The Tigers are also near the top of the nation in turnovers forced (2nd - 29.0) and steals per game (7th - 15.5).
>> Auburn has held every opponent thus far at least five points under their season average, and five of six were held at least 20 points below their average.

SEEING DOUBLE
>> Auburn has three double-doubles so far in 2016-17, all from senior Katie Frerking.
>> Frerking had three double-doubles in four games from Nov. 20-24. She had 10 points and 13 rebounds in a win at East Carolina (11/20), 13 points and 10 rebounds in Auburn's next game vs. Ball State (11/22), and 18 points and 10 rebounds in a close loss to No. 19 West Virginia (11/24).
>> The last Auburn player to have back-to-back double-doubles was Tra'Cee Tanner, who pulled off the feat against Florida Gulf Coast and Kentucky last season.

Looking Ahead

Auburn travels to Manhattan, Kansas, to face Kansas State in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Thursday, Dec. 1. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. at Bramlage Coliseum.