Auburn women host No. 5 South Carolina in SEC home opener

Jan. 4, 2017

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AUBURN, Ala. -- Auburn women's basketball opens the home portion of its SEC schedule Thursday night as No. 5 South Carolina visits Auburn Arena at 6 p.m.

The Tigers (11-4, 1-0 SEC) look to build on a victory in their SEC opener Sunday when Auburn earned an 82-75 victory at Florida. Katie Frerking and Brandy Montgomery combined for 50 points in the win, with Montgomery making a career-high seven 3-pointers and Frerking picking up her fifth double-double of the season. It was Auburn's fourth win in its last five SEC openers.

Frerking scored her 1,000th career point in the victory, hitting a 3-pointer midway through the third quarter. She also picked up her 200th career steal in the win. Along with Auburn great Mae Ola Bolton, Frerking is now one of two players in Auburn history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 250 assists and 200 steals.

South Carolina (11-1, 1-0 SEC) is fifth in both national polls this week. The Gamecocks, three-time defending SEC champions, opened SEC play with a 93-45 win over Alabama Sunday. South Carolina enters Thursday having won 17 straight SEC games.

Andy Burcham and Brit Bowen will have the radio broadcast on WTGZ 93.9 FM beginning at 5:45 p.m. CT. Fans can also listen live via TuneIn Radio or the above link to AuburnTigers.com. Brad Law and Joe Ciampi will call the action on SEC Network +; fans can watch online via WatchESPN.com or the ESPN app on mobile devices.

Promotions

- National Bird Day - Eagle appearance with the Southeastern Raptor Center
- Free Chicken Wings! - First 250 fans
- Photobooth at Main Entrance
- Dean's Challenge - Harrison School of Pharmacy; College of Education

Auburn Quick Hitters

- As of Jan. 2, Auburn ranks third in the nation in turnovers forced (24.7/game), is sixth in the nation in steals (13.3/game), and fifth in turnover margin (+8.9)
- This is the 42nd meeting between Auburn and South Carolina, the 21st in Auburn
- Auburn is 21-20 all-time against South Carolina, but the Gamecocks have won the last five meetings
- South Carolina won twice last season; 74-58 in Auburn and 57-48 in the SEC Tournament
- Auburn's last win over a top-5 opponent was March 1, 1997 vs. #4 Georgia in the SEC Tournament
- The Tigers finished non-conference play with 10 wins for the second straight season
- Six of Auburn's 15 opponents have been held to a season-low scoring total
- Auburn was ranked No. 23 in the Week 4 AP Top 25; it was the first ranking for Auburn since 2009
- 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
- Thirteen of 15 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 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
- 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)
- Katie Frerking leads Auburn with 16.3 points/game; Brandy Montgomery is second with 16.0 points/game
- Frerking also leads Auburn in rebounds (7.7) and steals (3.2)
- 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'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 11 against Drake, then scored career-high 15 points vs. Jacksonville on her 21st birthday

Last Time Out

>> Senior Katie Frerking scored her 1,000th career point and picked up her fifth double-double of the season to lead Auburn to an 82-75 win at Florida to open SEC play on New Year's Day.
>> The Tigers (11-4, 1-0 SEC) earned their first win in Gainesville since 2007, pushing ahead to as much as a 14-point lead in the third quarter and holding on late for the victory. It was the fourth win in an SEC opener in the last five seasons for Auburn.
>> Frerking scored 24 points -- 18 in the second half - and pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season. She also contributed five steals, four assists and a block in 37 minutes of action.
>> Brandy Montgomery led all scorers with 26 points and was 7-for-8 from 3-point range, a career-high 3-pointers for the Auburn senior. Janiah McKay added 16 points and five assists in her return to her hometown.

Noteworthy

A WIN OVER SOUTH CAROLINA WOULD...
>> Be Auburn's first win over a top-5 team since March 1, 1997 (#4 Georgia in the SEC Tournament).
>> Snap a five-game skid against the Gamecocks.
>> Move Auburn to 2-0 in SEC play for the first time since the 2010-11 season.

SERIES HISTORY
>> Auburn leads the all-time series with South Carolina 21-20, including a 12-8 edge at home.
>> South Carolina has won the last five meetings dating back to the 2012-13 season. The Gamecocks won twice last year, earning a 74-58 win in Auburn on Jan. 21 and a 57-48 win in the SEC Tournament on March 4.
>> Auburn's last win in the series game Jan. 19, 2012, in a 53-49 victory at home. The Tigers will face the Gamecocks twice in the regular season this year.

LAST MEETING: CAROLINA 57, AUBURN 48 (3/4/16)
>> Brandy Montgomery scored 14 points in the fourth quarter as Auburn surged back late, but the Tigers fell short to No. 3/2 South Carolina 57-48 in the SEC Tournament quarterfinal in Jacksonville.
>> The Tigers held South Carolina to its second-lowest scoring output of the season and outscored the Gamecocks 32-25 in the second half after trailing by 16 at halftime.
>> Montgomery finished with a game-high 18 points - all in the second half - with 14 of those coming in the fourth quarter. She knocked down seven of her last 10 attempts and single-handedly opened the fourth quarter on a 10-4 run, helping Auburn cut a 20-point deficit to single-digits.
>> Auburn held South Carolina to a shooting percentage of 31.7 percent - its lowest in at least two years - while the Tigers shot 35.7 percent from the floor. The Tigers also won the turnover battle, forcing Carolina into 16 while committing 15 of their own.

SCOUTING SOUTH CAROLINA
>> South Carolina is 11-1 on the season and 1-0 in SEC play. The only blemish on the Gamecocks' record is a 74-63 loss at Duke on Dec. 4. Carolina has won five straight.
>> Carolina leads the SEC in scoring (82.3 ppg), rebounding margin (+12.8), blocks (6.6/game), assists (17.0/game) and offensive rebounds (15.7/game). The Gamecocks are sixth in the nation in scoring margin (+28.3), seventh in FG% defense (32.8%) and 17th in fewest turnovers (13.1/game).
>> Alaina Coates is the nation's second-leading shooter from the field at 69.0%; she averages a double-double with 15.0 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. A'ja Wilson is the Gamecocks' leading scorer with 16.9 ppg, and Kaela Davis adds 13.8 ppg and is a 41.3% 3-point shooter.
>> The Gamecocks are the three-time defending SEC regular-season champions and advanced to the Sweet 16 last season with a 33-2 record.

SCOUTING AUBURN
>> Auburn is 11-4 for the season, 1-0 in SEC play. All of Auburn's losses have come by five points or less - all 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 all four games.
>> The Tigers are one of the nation's top teams in forcing turnovers with 24.7 per game (3rd in NCAA). Auburn is sixth in the nation in steals per game (13.3) and first nationwide in total steals (199). The Tigers are first in the SEC and rank fifth in the nation in turnover margin (+8.9).
>> Katie Frerking is Auburn's leading scorer with 16.3 points/game. She also leads the Tigers in rebounds (7.7) and steals (3.2). Her 3.2 steals per game lead the SEC and rank 20th in the nation. Frerking has posted all five of Auburn's 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.
>> Brandy Montgomery is Auburn's second-leading scorer with 16.0 points/game. She was named to the preseason All-SEC Second Team by the league's coaches. She scored a season-high 28 points - 16 in the fourth quarter - to lead Auburn's comeback from a 17-point deficit against Indiana on Nov. 27. She then hit a career-high seven 3-pointers and scored 26 points to lead Auburn past Florida 82-75 on Jan. 1.
>> 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.
>> Sophomore point guard Janiah McKay and junior forward Jazmine Jones are the Tigers' other two returning starters. McKay leads the Tigers in assists (3.3/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 contributed a career-high eight assists in a Dec. 11 win over Savannah State.
>> 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. She scored a season-high 10 points and had a career-high five steals vs. Drake on Dec. 21.

DOWNTOWN MONTGOMERY
>> Senior Brandy Montgomery has turned into one of the SEC's top 3-point shooters, averaging 2.4 makes per game and shooting 32.1% from long distance.
>> Against Florida on Jan. 1, Montgomery made a career-high seven 3-pointers (on just eight attempts), scoring 26 points to lead Auburn to an 82-75 road victory. She was one trey shy of the Auburn record (Tiffany Krantz, 8 vs. Troy in 1997).

EIGHT IS...GREAT?
>> In the Dec. 28 win over Jacksonville, Auburn held the Dolphins to eight points in the first half. It's the first time for Auburn to hold an opponent to single-digits in a half since Dec. 19, 2006, at Maryland-Eastern Shore, when the Tigers held UMES to five first-half points.
>> There are only three known instances of Auburn holding an opponent to single digits in a half dating back to the 1989-90 season. The other came Jan. 27, 1990, when Tuskegee scored nine second-half points.

SHE'S FRERKING AWESOME
>> Through 15 games, senior Katie Frerking leads Auburn in three of five major categories: scoring (16.3 ppg), rebounds (7.7/game), and steals (3.3).
>> Frerking scored a career-high 30 points along with 11 rebounds in Auburn's win at Louisiana Tech (12/14). She was 9-14 from the field, 5-9 from 3-point range, and 7-8 at the free-throw line. She added 26 points vs. Drake (12/21) and now has four 20-point games this season and seven in her career.
>> Frerking's effort at Louisiana Tech was Auburn's first 30-point game since Montgomery had 30 against Alabama in the 2015 regular-season finale (3/1/15).
>> She scored her 1,000th career point and picked up her 200th career steal, along with her fifth double-double of the season at Florida (1/1). She is one of two players in Auburn history with at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 250 assists and 200 steals (Mae Ola Bolton).

SEEING DOUBLE
>> Auburn has five 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.
>> Frerking's fourth double-double came at Louisiana Tech on Dec. 14 when she scored a career-high 30 points and had 11 rebounds. It was Auburn's first double-double with 30 points scored since DeWanna Bonner had 32 points and 13 rebounds vs. Ole Miss on Feb. 5, 2009.
>> She scored 24 points and had 10 rebounds in the Tigers' 82-75 win at Florida on Jan. 1 for her fifth of the season.

Looking Ahead

Auburn plays back-to-back home games for the first time this season as Ole Miss visits Auburn Arena on Sunday, Jan. 8. Game time is 3 p.m.