'All Auburn, All Orange' as women's hoops hosts Kentucky

Jan. 21, 2017

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AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Auburn faces another tough test in SEC women's basketball action as the Kentucky Wildcats visit Auburn Arena on Sunday. Game time is set for 2 p.m. with the broadcast on SEC Network.

Sunday's game is the annual "All Auburn, All Orange" game as the Tigers will wear their orange uniforms for the first time this year, and all fans are encouraged to wear orange. In addition, fans with tickets for Saturday's men's basketball game vs. Alabama can bring their ticket stubs back for free admission to Sunday's game.

The Tigers (14-5, 4-1 SEC), riding a three-game winning streak in SEC play, look to keep the momentum going after a stirring 79-62 victory over Tennessee at home Thursday night. For the second straight game, Auburn found itself trailing by 17, but fought back to take a halftime lead and pulled away in the second half for the win. Sophomore Janiah McKay scored a career-high 29 points and senior Katie Frerking added 22 to pace Auburn to their first win over the Lady Vols since 2009.

Kentucky (13-6, 4-2 SEC) is on a three-game winning streak of its own, defeating Alabama, Georgia and LSU in its last three contests. The Wildcats have four players that average double-digit scoring, led by senior Makayla Epps, who averages 16.3 points per game. Senior Evelyn Akhator has 11 double-doubles on the season, averaging 15.3 points and 10.7 rebounds.

Auburn seeks its second win over Kentucky in as many years. Last season in the SEC opener, the Tigers rallied from yet another 17-point first-half deficit to knock off the seventh-ranked Wildcats, 66-61, at Auburn Arena. Brandy Montgomery scored 27 points in that game and made four key free throws in the closing seconds to clinch the victory.

Andy Burcham, Taylor Mounts and Brit Bowen will have the radio broadcast on WTGZ 93.9 FM beginning at 1:45 p.m. CT. Fans can also listen live via TuneIn Radio or the above link to AuburnTigers.com. Sam Gore and Mike Thibault will call the action on SEC Network; fans can also watch online via WatchESPN.com or the ESPN app on mobile devices.

Promotions

- TicketBack - Free admission with ticket from Saturday's MBB game vs. Alabama
- All Auburn, All Orange - Wear Orange!
- 'Donut' Miss This Game - Free donuts for fans while supplies last, plus floating donut drink holders!
- Baby Race and Frisbee Dogs at Halftime!
- Dean's Challenge - College of Agriculture, College of Science and Mathematics

Auburn Quick Hitters

- As of Jan. 20, Auburn ranks second in the nation in turnovers forced (24.0/game), is seventh in the nation in steals (12.6/game), and fourth in turnover margin (+8.9)
- This is the 47th meeting between Auburn and Kentucky, the 20th in Auburn and fifth at Auburn Arena
- Auburn leads the all-time series 26-20, but Kentucky has won eight of the last nine meetings
- The teams split two meetings last season; Auburn won 66-61 at home while UK won 54-47 in Lexington
- Last year's Auburn victory on Jan. 3 was the Tigers' first win over a top-10 opponent since 2010
- Auburn is 4-1 in SEC play for the first time since the 2010-11 season
- Auburn has three comeback wins from 17-point deficits this season: vs. Indiana (11/27), at Vanderbilt (1/12) and vs. Tennessee (1/19)
- Auburn's win over Tennessee on Jan. 19 was its first over the Lady Vols since 2009 and the largest margin of victory in a regular-season game for Auburn against UT
- 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 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
- Sixteen of 19 Auburn opponents have committed at least 20 turnovers
- 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'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 29 points in Auburn's 79-61 win over Tennessee (1/19)
- McKay scored 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 16.4 points/game; Brandy Montgomery is second with 15.4 points/game
- Frerking also leads Auburn in rebounds (7.1) and steals (2.9)
- Frerking scored her 1,000th career point at Florida on Jan. 1; Montgomery scored her 1,500th at Vandy on Jan. 12
- 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 needs 5 points to move into the Auburn all-time top 10 in scoring
- Auburn is No. 19 in the latest NCAA RPI (as of Jan. 20)

Last Time Out

ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Sophomore Janiah McKay scored a career-high 29 points to lead Auburn women's basketball to its first win over Tennessee since 2009, a 79-61 victory at Auburn Arena Thursday night.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º For the second straight game and third time this season, Auburn found itself down by 17 points, this time in the first quarter as the Lady Vols opened the game on a 25-8 run. But for the second straight game and third time this season, the Tigers overcame that deficit ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" and this time it only took one quarter.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º A 3-pointer from Katie Frerking at the halftime buzzer gave Auburn a 38-36 lead, and the Tigers would never trail again, increasing their lead to as many as 23 points in the fourth quarter.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º McKay's 29 points were one more than her previous high, a 28-point effort against Virginia Tech on Dec. 18. She was a perfect 3-for-3 on 3-pointers and was 11-for-21 from the field, season-highs in all categories. Frerking added 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting and pulled down a team-leading seven rebounds.


Noteworthy

A WIN OVER KENTUCKY WOULD...
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Move Auburn to 5-1 in SEC play for the first time since the 2010-11 season when the Tigers also started 5-1.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Keep Auburn in third place in the SEC standings.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Be Auburn's second straight home victory over Kentucky.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Mark the first time Auburn has beaten Kentucky, Tennessee and Vanderbilt in the same regular season since 1991.

SERIES HISTORY
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn leads the all-time series with Kentucky 26-20, including an 11-8 edge in games played in Auburn. The Tigers are 1-3 against the Wildcats at Auburn Arena.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The teams split two meetings last season with each winning on its home floor. Auburn upset No. 7 Kentucky 66-61 at home on Jan. 3, and the Wildcats earned a 54-47 win in Lexington on Jan. 17.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Kentucky has won eight of the last nine meetings.

LAST MEETING: #9 KENTUCKY 54, AUBURN 47 (1/17/16)
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn held No. 9 Kentucky to its lowest scoring output of the season, but the Tigers could not overcome a turnover-plagued game in a 54-47 loss to the Wildcats Sunday at Memorial Coliseum.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers were able to cut a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to as few as two with just under two minutes to play, but the Wildcats hit a huge 3-pointer and knocked down their free throws in the closing seconds to secure the win.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Montgomery led Auburn with a game-high 15 points but struggled to find open shots as she was 6-of-14 from the field. Katie Frerking had eight points and a team-best five rebounds, and Tra'Cee Tanner finished with six points.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Both teams struggled from the field with Auburn hitting 19-of-54 attempts (35.2%) and Kentucky shooting 17-of-47 (36.2%), but the different for the Wildcats came at the free-throw line. UK knocked down 17-of-25 attempts while Auburn was able to get to the line just four times in the game. The Tigers pulled down one more rebound than UK (33-32).

SCOUTING KENTUCKY
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Kentucky is 13-6 overall, 4-2 in SEC play, and comes into Sunday's game having won three straight conference games over Alabama, Georgia and LSU.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Sunday's game will match strength vs. strength - Kentucky is among the nation's best at taking care of the ball with just 12.2 turnovers per game, seventh-best in the country. The Wildcats average 70.3 points/game and outscore their opponents by an average of 10.5 points/game.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Evelyn Akhator averages a double-double with 15.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. She has 11 double-doubles this season, ninth-best nationwide. Akhator also shoots 61.6 percent from the field, 11th-best in the nation. Makayla Epps is UK's leading scorer with 16.3 points/game.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Kentucky advanced to the Sweet 16 last season, finishing 25-8 overall and 10-6 in SEC play. Matthew Mitchell is in his 10th season with the Wildcats and has led UK to the NCAA Tournament seven straight years.

SCOUTING AUBURN
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn is 14-5 for the season, 4-1 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 24.0 per game (2nd in NCAA). Auburn is 7th in the nation in steals per game (12.6) and 3rd nationwide in total steals (239). The Tigers are first in the SEC and rank fourth in the nation in turnover margin (+8.9).
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Katie Frerking is Auburn's leading scorer with 16.4 points/game. She also leads the Tigers in rebounds (7.1) and steals (2.9). Her 2.9 steals per game are second in the SEC and rank 27th 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 15.4 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 (3.6/game) and scored a career-high 29 points to lead Auburn's comeback victory over Tennessee on Jan. 19. 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.

LUCKY NUMBER 17
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Three times this season, Auburn has trailed by 17 points and overcame that deficit to win the game: Nov. 27 vs. Indiana, Jan. 12 at Vanderbilt and Jan. 19 vs. Tennessee.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn trailed Indiana by 17 points early in the fourth quarter on Nov. 27, but outscored the Hoosiers 32-14 in the final period to earn a 71-67 victory at home. Brandy Montgomery scored 16 points in that fourth quarter, including 10 straight at one point, to lead the Auburn comeback. Erica Sanders hit the go-ahead jumper with 50 seconds left to give Auburn the lead for good.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Vandy led 45-28 with 5:27 left in the third quarter, but Auburn went on a 14-4 run to cut the deficit to 7 at the end of the third quarter, then outscored the Commodores 22-10 in the fourth to claim the victory. Montgomery scored 14 points in the fourth quarter and hit three free throws in the final seconds to seal the win.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Tennessee jumped out to a 25-8 lead late in the first quarter, but Auburn went on an 18-1 run over the next five minutes to tie the game at 26-26. A 3-pointer from Katie Frerking at the halftime buzzer gave the Tigers a 38-36 lead, and they would never trail again.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º On Jan. 3 of last season, the Tigers trailed No. 7 Kentucky by 17 points in the second quarter (30-13), but cut the deficit to nine by halftime. Montgomery finished with 27 points, including four crucial free throws in the final 13 seconds to seal the win, Auburn's first over a top-10 team in six years.

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 scored a career-high 29 points on Jan. 19 to lead Auburn to its first win over Tennessee since 2009. She scored 15 points in the second quarter alone to help the Tigers rally from a 17-point first-quarter deficit to take the lead at halftime.
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

The Tigers hit the road for four of their next five games, beginning with a trip to Columbia, Mo., to face Missouri. Tip is set for 7 p.m. CT Thursday at Mizzou Arena.