Women's hoops heads to Vanderbilt Thursday

Jan. 11, 2017

AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" The Auburn women's basketball team hits the road for the second time in Southeastern Conference play when it travels to Nashville, Tenn., to face Vanderbilt Thursday night. Game time is 7 p.m. CT at Memorial Gym.

The Tigers (12-5, 2-1 SEC) are coming off an 83-60 win over Ole Miss at home Sunday. It was the Tigers' highest-scoring game in SEC play under head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy, and it was the largest margin of victory in an SEC game since the 2012-13 season. Brandy Montgomery led the Tigers with 25 points, and Janiah McKay posted her first career double-double with 13 points and 13 assists.

Vanderbilt (10-6, 0-3 SEC) seeks its first conference victory after dropping a 70-68 heartbreaker to Georgia Sunday. The Commodores have lost five straight after opening the season 10-1. Auburn seeks its third straight win at Memorial Gym and fourth straight in the series.

Andy Burcham and Brit Bowen will have the radio broadcast on WTGZ 93.9 FM beginning at 6:45 p.m. CT. Fans can also listen live via TuneIn Radio or the above link to AuburnTigers.com. Fans can watch the game on SEC Network + via WatchESPN.com or the ESPN app on mobile devices.

Auburn Quick Hitters

- As of Jan. 9, Auburn ranks third in the nation in turnovers forced (24.1/game), is ninth in the nation in steals (12.7/game), and fifth in turnover margin (+8.7)
- This is the 48th meeting between Auburn and Vanderbilt, the 21st in Nashville at Memorial Gym
- Vanderbilt leads the all-time series 28-19, but Auburn has won the last three meetings
- Vandy won 21 straight in the series from 2001-13 before Auburn snapped the skid in Nashville in 2014
- Auburn won the last meeting between the teams, a 53-45 win in Auburn last season
- Auburn is 2-1 in SEC play for the first time since the 2012-13 season
- Auburn's 83-60 win over Ole Miss (1/8) was its largest margin of victory and highest scoring total in SEC play under head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy
- Six of Auburn's 17 opponents have been held to a season-low scoring total
- Auburn is 7-0 this season and 35-6 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; 28 vs. Savannah State; 26 at Florida
- Fourteen of 17 Auburn opponents have committed at least 20 turnovers
- Auburn held Jacksonville to eight points in the first half (12/28); first time since 2006 and third time since 1989-90 to hold opponent to single-digits in a half (5 pts. at UMES, 2006; 9 pts. vs. Tuskegee, 1990)
- Auburn scored 62 points in the second half vs. Drake; the most in a half since 2008 and two points shy of a school record for points in a half
- Auburn trailed Indiana by 17 points in the fourth quarter before mounting a comeback for a 71-67 win on Nov. 27
- Auburn's 32 fourth-quarter points vs. Indiana were the Tigers' most in a single period since women's basketball went to a four-quarter game in 2015-16
- The Tigers scored 31 points in both the third and fourth quarters vs. Drake and 30 points in the 1st quarter vs. Ole Miss
- Janiah McKay scored a career-high 28 points and helped force overtime vs. Virginia Tech (12/18); she followed that up with 25 points vs. Drake (12/21)
- McKay had her first career double-double with 13 points/13 assists vs. Ole Miss; 13 assists tie for 7th in AU history
- Katie Frerking leads Auburn with 15.9 points/game; Brandy Montgomery is second with 15.8 points/game
- Frerking also leads Auburn in rebounds (7.0) and steals (3.0)
- Frerking scored her 1,000th career point at Florida on Jan. 1
- Frerking is one of two players in Auburn history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 250 assists and 200 steals; the other is Mae Ola Bolton
- Frerking scored a career-high 30 points and had 11 rebounds at Louisiana Tech (12/14)
- Frerking has double-doubles in five games this year; she had two in her career entering the season
- Frerking had a career-high 7 steals in the win at N.C. A&T, then matched that with 7 vs. Indiana
- Montgomery scored 28 points in the comeback win over Indiana, including 16 in the fourth quarter and 10 straight over a 2-minute stretch to tie the game
- Montgomery was 7-for-8 from 3-point range in the win over Florida; one 3-pointer shy of a single-game school record
- Auburn was ranked No. 23 in the Week 4 AP Top 25; it was the first ranking for Auburn since 2009
- Auburn is No. 19 in the latest NCAA RPI (as of Jan. 10)

Last Time Out

ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Senior Brandy Montgomery scored 25 points, and sophomore Janiah McKay picked up her first career double-double as Auburn had its highest-scoring SEC game in six years Sunday, defeating Ole Miss 83-60 at Auburn Arena.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers (12-5, 2-1 SEC) were strong in all phases of the game, scoring 30 points off turnovers while shooting 50 percent from the field and 53 percent on 3-pointers. Auburn also shared the ball well, racking up 25 assists, the most in a game in three seasons.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Montgomery's 25 points came on her best shooting day of the season ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 10-of-15 (66.7%) from the field and 5-of-6 (83.3%) from 3-point range. In Auburn's two SEC wins, Montgomery is 12-of-14 (85.7%) on 3-pointers, and her 25 points today moved her up to 11th all-time at Auburn with 1,486 points.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º McKay scored 13 points and had 13 assists for her first career double-double. It was the most assists by an Auburn player since Najat Ouardad had 14 vs. Ole Miss in 2013, and it was Auburn's first points/assists double-double since Ouardad accomplished the feat vs. Samford in 2012.

Noteworthy

A WIN OVER VANDY WOULD...
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Move Auburn to 3-1 in SEC play for the first time since the 2010-11 season when the Tigers started 5-1.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Be Auburn's third straight win at Memorial Gym after having lost the previous eight from 2002-13.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Be Auburn's fourth straight win over Vanderbilt after having lost 21 straight from 2001-14.

SERIES HISTORY
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Vanderbilt leads the series with Auburn 28-19, including a 13-7 edge at Memorial Gym.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Vanderbilt won 21 straight in the series from 2001-13. The Tigers snapped the streak with a 68-60 win at Vandy in 2014, and the Tigers have won three straight since that night.

LAST MEETING: AUBURN 53, VANDY 45 (2/4/16)
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º A strong defensive effort led Auburn to a 53-45 win over Vanderbilt at Auburn Arena, pushing the Tigers back to .500 in SEC play.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers beat Vanderbilt at home for the first time since 1999, snapping a nine-game home skid to the Commodores. Auburn held Vanderbilt to a season-low scoring total, mostly thanks to forcing the Commodores into 29 turnovers.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Brandy Montgomery led the Tigers with 16 points on 7-of-16 shooting with eight coming in the fourth quarter, giving Auburn its biggest lead of the night at that point. She also hit a pair of clutch free throws late to help secure the victory. Katie Frerking added 11 points and a team-best four assists while Janiah McKay had nine points along with four steals and two assists.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn shot 44.2 percent from the field and held the Commodores, the SEC's top-shooting team, to 35.6-percent shooting. The Commodores were also held to 3-of-17 from beyond the 3-point line, their lowest long-range percentage of the season.

AUBURN-VANDY TIES
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Bianca Webb, Auburn's special assistant to the head coach, and Vanderbilt senior Marqu'es Webb, are sisters. Marqu'es was a high school teammate of former Tigers Tyrese and Tra'Cee Tanner at Hoover HS.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Vandy assistant coach Kelly Komara was on Auburn's staff as a graduate assistant and video coordinator from 2005-11. She earned her master's degree from Auburn in 2006.

SCOUTING VANDERBILT
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Vanderbilt is 10-6 overall and 0-3 in SEC play after a tough 70-68 loss to Georgia on Sunday. The Commodores enter Thursday's game having lost five straight after a 10-1 start to the season.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Commodores average 72.8 points per game for the season but are last in the SEC in scoring defense, giving up 68.4 points per game. Free throws, 3-point shooting and rebounding are Vandy's strengths - the Commodores lead the league in 3-point percentage (40.5%), are tied for third in free-throw shooting (74.2%) and average 41.1 rebounds per game.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Rachel Bell leads the Vandy offense with 12.0 points per game, and Christa Reed averages 10.5. Marqu'es Webb is VU's leading rebounder with 9.1 per game, which ranks sixth in the SEC. Five players - Bell, Reed, Rebekah Dahlmann, Erin Whalen and Kaleigh Clemons-Green, shoot 40% or better from 3-point range.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Stephanie White is in her first season as Vanderbilt head coach after leading the WNBA's Indiana Fever the last two seasons. She took over a Commodore team that went 18-14 overall, 5-11 in SEC play.

SCOUTING AUBURN
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn is 12-5 for the season, 2-1 in SEC play. All of Auburn's losses have come to teams either currently ranked or receiving votes in the national polls, and the Tigers have had the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead in the final seconds of regulation in four of those five games.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers are one of the nation's top teams in forcing turnovers with 24.1 per game (3rd in NCAA). Auburn is 9th in the nation in steals per game (12.7) and 4th nationwide in total steals (216). The Tigers are first in the SEC and rank sixth in the nation in turnover margin (+8.7).
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Katie Frerking is Auburn's leading scorer with 15.9 points/game. She also leads the Tigers in rebounds (7.0) and steals (3.0). Her 3.0 steals per game are second in the SEC and rank 2nd in the nation. Frerking has posted five double-doubles this season and had a career-high 30 points in a win at Louisiana Tech on Dec. 14. She scored her 1,000th career point at Florida on Jan. 1 while picking up her fifth double-double of the year.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Brandy Montgomery is Auburn's second-leading scorer with 15.8 points/game. She was named to the preseason All-SEC Second Team by the league's coaches. She has three games with 25+ points this season: a season-high 28 (including 16 in the 4th quarter) to lead a comeback win over Indiana (11/27), 26 in a win at Florida that included a career-high seven 3-pointers (1/1), and 25 in a home victory over Ole Miss where she was 10-of-15 from the floor (1/8).
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º 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 11 rebounds vs. Drake. She leads the Tigers in blocks with 1.1/game. She also had five steals in the opener vs. Troy, and she scored a career-high 15 points on her 21st birthday in Auburn's 53-41 win over Jacksonville on Dec. 28.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Sophomore point guard Janiah McKay and junior forward Jazmine Jones are the Tigers' other two returning starters. McKay leads the Tigers in assists (3.8/game) and scored a career-high 28 points to lead Auburn's comeback against Virginia Tech, then scored 25 in a victory over Drake three days later. She earned her first career double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds vs. Ole Miss on Jan. 8, and she scored her 500th career point vs. South Carolina on Jan. 5.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Jones started all 33 games as a sophomore and had one of the best shooting percentages on the team, shooting 52.6% from the floor. She scored a season-high 10 points and had a career-high five steals vs. Drake on Dec. 21.

J-MAC ATTACK
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Sophomore Janiah McKay is continuing to come into her own as a top point guard in the SEC. She topped the career 500-point mark in her 49th game (vs. South Carolina, 1/5/17) and will likely end up in the top 30 in career assists by the end of the 2017 season.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º McKay had back-to-back 25-point games (28 vs. Virginia Tech; 25 vs. Drake) in December, the first back-to-back 25-point games for an Auburn player since Alli Smalley did so vs. Kentucky (26) and Florida (29) as a junior in 2010.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º In a win over Ole Miss, McKay got her first career double-double with 13 points and a career-high 13 assists. Her 13 assists tied for seventh in a single game in Auburn history and were the most by an Auburn player since Najat Ouardad had 14 vs. Ole Miss in 2013.

Looking Ahead

After an off-day Sunday, the Tigers return to action Thursday, Jan. 19, hosting Tennessee. Game time is 6 p.m. at Auburn Arena.