Tigers host No. 5/4 Mississippi State Thursday night

Feb. 1, 2017

-

AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Auburn women's basketball plays its only home game of a 20-day stretch Thursday night as No. 5/4 Mississippi State visits Auburn Arena. Game time is 8 p.m.

Thursday's game is "Jersday Thursday" - fans can wear their favorite jersey for a chance to win an Auburn jersey. In addition, free pizza will be available for students while supplies last.

The Tigers (15-7, 5-3 SEC) are coming off a big road victory over rival Alabama Sunday as Janiah McKay and Katie Frerking combined for 46 points in a 66-55 win in Tuscaloosa. After trailing by eight points midway through the third quarter, the Tigers shot 60 percent over the final 15 minutes while forcing 11 Alabama turnovers. It was Auburn's fourth straight win over Alabama and gave the Tigers a winning record in January for the first time since 2010-11.

Mississippi State (21-1, 7-1 SEC) has been one of the nation's top teams this season, earning the highest ranking in program history. The Bulldogs have just one loss on the season, a three-point setback at South Carolina last week. In their last game, the Bulldogs earned a 10-point win over Texas A&M.

Auburn leads the all-time series with MSU 35-19, but the Bulldogs have won the last three meetings in the series. Last season, No. 7/6 Mississippi State earned a 60-45 win in Starkville.

Andy Burcham, Taylor Mounts and Brit Bowen will have the radio broadcast on WTGZ 93.9 FM beginning at 7:45 p.m. CT. Fans can also listen live via TuneIn Radio or the above link to AuburnTigers.com. Courtney Lyle and Deb Antonelli will call the action on SEC Network; fans can also watch online via WatchESPN.com or the ESPN app on mobile devices.

Promotions

- Jersday Thursday - Wear your favorite jersey for a chance to win an Auburn jersey!
- Free Pizza for Students - in Student Lobby while supplies last
- Dean's Challenge - School of Nursing; Graduate School

Auburn Quick Hitters

- As of Jan. 30, Auburn ranks third in the nation in turnovers forced (23.3/game), is seventh in the nation in steals (12.3/game), and third in turnover margin (+8.6)
- This is the 55th meeting between Auburn and Mississippi State
- Auburn is 35-19 against Mississippi State, including a 20-5 lead in games played in Auburn
- Mississippi State has won the last three meetings and six of the last nine
- No. 7/6 MSU won last year's meeting 60-45 on Jan. 7 in Starkville
- Auburn's win over Alabama Sunday was its fourth straight and seventh in eight meetings with the Tide
- Sophomore Erica Sanders and senior Khady Dieng made their first starts of the season vs. Alabama Sunday while Jazmine and Jessica Jones came off the bench due to illness; it was Sanders' first career start
- In the Jan. 22 game vs. Kentucky, Brandy Montgomery passed Tyrese Tanner for 10th all-time in scoring at Auburn; she now has 1,538 points
- 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
- 17 of 22 Auburn opponents have committed at least 20 turnovers; Auburn is 14-3 in those games
- Auburn averages 25.8 points per game off opponent turnovers; the Tigers are 11-2 when scoring at least 25
- 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 16.2 points/game; Brandy Montgomery is second with 14.5 points/game
- Frerking also leads Auburn in rebounds (6.5) 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)

Last Time Out

ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º A 26-point night from Janiah McKay and 20 points from Katie Frerking ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" including 12 in the fourth quarter ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" led Auburn to a comeback victory over Alabama, 66-55, Sunday night at Coleman Coliseum.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers (15-8, 5-3 SEC) trailed by as many as eight points in the third quarter before opening the fourth on a 16-4 run. A pair of Frerking 3-pointers to open the final period gave Auburn its first lead since early in the second quarter, and the Tigers never trailed again.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Frerking scored 12 of her 20 points in the fourth quarter as Auburn outscored Alabama (15-7, 3-6 SEC) 25-11 in the final 10 minutes. In Auburn's last three games with Alabama ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" all victories ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Frerking has scored at least 20 points. Frerking also had four steals McKay, meanwhile, was 10-of-19 from the field and 6-of-7 at the free-throw line for her second 20+ point game in SEC play.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn forced Alabama into 22 turnovers, converting those into 28 points. The Tigers had just 10 turnovers in the game and only three in the second half. Alabama outrebounded Auburn 33-28, but Auburn outscored the Tide in the paint, 28-26.


Noteworthy

A WIN OVER MISSISSIPPI STATE WOULD...
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Give Auburn a 6-3 record in SEC play for the first time since the 2010-11 season.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Give Auburn its 16th win of the season, securing a winning record for the second straight year.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Be Auburn's first win over a ranked foe this year.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Be Auburn's first win over a top-5 opponent since 1997.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Snap a 3-game skid against the Bulldogs.

SERIES HISTORY
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn leads the all-time series with Mississippi State 35-19, including a 20-5 advantage in Auburn. The teams are tied 2-2 in games at Auburn Arena.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Mississippi State has won the last three meetings and six of the last nine, including a 60-45 win in Starkville last year.

LAST MEETING: #7/6 MSU 60, AUBURN 45 (1/7/16)
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn's second-half rally fell short as the Tigers fell at No. 7/6 Mississippi State, 60-45, at Humphrey Coliseum.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers trailed by 16 at halftime, but cut that deficit to as few as five points in the second half before Mississippi State used Auburn turnovers and success at the free-throw line to pull away late.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn out-shot MSU for the game, shooting 40 percent to MSU's 33, but the Bulldogs connected on five 3-pointers and made 15 free throws while Auburn attempted just five. The Tigers dealt with foul trouble much of the night, with two players fouling out.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Tra'Cee Tanner led the Tigers with 15 points and seven rebounds, but was the only player in double-figures for Auburn. Jazmine Jones and Brandy Montgomery had eight apiece.

SCOUTING MSU
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Mississippi State is 21-1 overall, 7-1 in the SEC, and has achieved its highest ranking in program history this season. The Bulldogs' only loss came by three points at No. 4 South Carolina last week.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º MSU is the No. 2 scoring team (77.8 ppg) and the top defensive team (54.4 ppg allowed) in the SEC. The Bulldogs are in the nation's top 20 in numerous categories, including scoring margin (6th, +23.3), turnover margin (4th, +8.3) and 3-point defense (26.1%).
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Victoria Vivians leads the Bulldogs and ranks fourth in the SEC in scoring with 16.9 points/game; she is third in conference play with 18.1 points/game.

SCOUTING AUBURN
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn is 15-7 for the season, 5-3 in SEC play. Six 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 five of those six games.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers are one of the nation's top teams in forcing turnovers with 23.3 per game (3rd in NCAA). Auburn is 7th in the nation in steals per game (12.2) and 3rd nationwide in total steals (269). The Tigers are first in the SEC and rank third in the nation in turnover margin (+8.6).
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Katie Frerking is Auburn's leading scorer with 16.2 points/game. She also leads the Tigers in rebounds (6.5) 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 14.5 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 1.0/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 (3.5/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.

Looking Ahead

ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers hit the road for their next two games, beginning with a Super Bowl Sunday tilt at Texas A&M. Game time is 1 p.m. at Reed Arena in College Station, Texas.