Auburn women host LSU on Senior Night

Feb. 22, 2017

-

Opening Tip

ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Auburn women's basketball team closes out the 2016-17 home schedule Thursday night, hosting LSU at 6 p.m. at Auburn Arena for Senior Night.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn is 15-13 overall, 5-8 SEC, looking to snap a six-game skid after dropping an overtime heartbreaker to Alabama, 63-61, Monday night. LSU also fell in overtime in its last game at Georgia, 70-65, and is 18-9 overall, 7-7 in SEC play.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn's three seniors - Khady Dieng, Katie Frerking and Brandy Montgomery - along with senior manager Tammy Trout, will be honored in pregame ceremonies, slated to begin at 5:40 p.m.

Promotions

- Senior Night - Auburn's seniors will be recognized on the court in pregame ceremonies, beginning at 5:40 p.m.
- "Senior Night" - Free general admission for all fans age 60 and over
- Mardi Gras - Beads and King Cake for fans while supplies last
- Aubie's Birthday - Cupcakes in Kids Zone, Happy Birthday on court at halftime
- Free Pizza For Students

Auburn Quick Hitters

- As of Feb. 21, Auburn ranks third in the nation in turnovers forced (22.3/game), is 12th in the nation in steals (11.6/game), and third in turnover margin (+8.2)
- This is the 52nd meeting between Auburn and LSU
- Auburn is 30-21 all-time against LSU, including a 13-9 edge in Auburn
- LSU had won six straight over Auburn until a 63-53 Auburn victory last season in Baton Rouge
- Senior Katie Frerking scored a career-high 32 points at Texas A&M (2/5), her second 30-point game this year
- In SEC play, Frerking ranks ninth in the league with 16.7 points/game
- Frerking was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team last week and the SEC Community Service Team this week
- Senior Khady Dieng will make her second start of the season as part of Senior Night
- Junior Tiffany Lewis made her first Auburn start against Ole Miss on Feb. 16; her last collegiate start came March 5, 2015, vs. Georgia Tech while playing at Clemson
- Sophomore Erica Sanders and senior Khady Dieng made their first starts of the season vs. Alabama on Jan. 29 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 1,598 points and ranks ninth in program history
- 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
- Four 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
- 20 of 28 Auburn opponents have committed at least 20 turnovers; Auburn is 14-6 in those games
- Auburn averages 24.0 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

Last Time Out

ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Janiah McKay matched a career-high with 29 points, but an Alabama layup in the final seconds of overtime gave the Crimson Tide a 63-61 win at Auburn Arena Thursday night. Alabama's Hannah Cook broke a 61-all tie with 5.6 seconds left in overtime, and McKay's driving attempt at the buzzer would not fall to force a second extra period.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º In a game that saw the lead change hands 16 times, Auburn gave up a six-point lead in the fourth quarter to an 11-0 Alabama run, then answered with a 7-0 run of its own to take a 53-51 lead. Cook hit a shot-clock beating jumper with 39 seconds left to tie the game, then missed two free throws with 0.3 seconds remaining on the clock to send the game to overtime.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º McKay's 29 points matched her effort in the Tigers' win over Tennessee earlier this season. She made 11 field goals, including one 3-pointer, and was 6-of-7 at the free-throw line. She also had a team-leading four steals. Katie Frerking was Auburn's only other player in double-figures with 16 points, including two big shots that tied the game in the extra period, and led the Tigers with four assists and three blocks. Jazmine Jones had eight rebounds to lead Auburn.


Noteworthy

A WIN OVER LSU WOULD...
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Give Auburn its 16th win of the season, securing a .500 or better record for the second straight year.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Snap a six-game losing streak.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Be Auburn's second-straight win over LSU.

SERIES HISTORY
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn leads the all-time series with LSU 30-21, but LSU has won six of the last seven meetings. Auburn snapped the skid last year in Baton Rouge with a 63-53 win.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn is 13-9 against LSU at home, but just 1-2 at Auburn Arena. LSU won the last meeting in Auburn 60-49 in 2015.

LAST MEETING: AUBURN 63, LSU 53 (2/1/16)
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Senior Cabriana Capers had a career-high 10 points and nine rebounds as Auburn got its first SEC road victory of the season, defeating LSU 63-53 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn overcame a season-high 30 turnovers and almost the entire lineup in foul trouble to snap a six-game losing streak to LSU and earn its first win in Baton Rouge since 2010.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Four players finished in double-figures for Auburn. Katie Frerking and Tra'Cee Tanner scored 13 points apiece, with Brandy Montgomery and Capers adding 10 each. Capers was the rebounding leader with nine, and Frerking pulled down seven boards as Auburn out-rebounded LSU 36-28.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn shot 48.9 percent for the game, their best in SEC play this season, including a 60.8-percent mark in the second half. A 71-percent night at the free-throw line (15-of-21) aided the Auburn effort as the teams combined to be called for 51 fouls. LSU attempted 36 free throws on the night, connecting on 23.

SCOUTING LSU
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º LSU and Auburn are quite similar teams, using pressure defense to convert to offense. LSU ranks No. 2 nationally in steals, 4th in steals per game, 9th in turnover margin and 16th in turnover forced per game. The Lady Tigers average 22.3 points per game off turnovers.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Raigyne Moncrief is LSU's leader in scoring (16.1 ppg), rebounding (5.9/game), assists (2.7/game) and steals (3.5/game). Her steals lead the SEC and rank fifth in the nation.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º LSU relies on transition scoring and points in the paint to generate offense. The Lady Tigers are last in the nation in 3-pointers made with just 30 this season.

SCOUTING AUBURN
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn is 15-13 for the season, 5-9 in SEC play. Nine of Auburn's losses have come to teams either ranked or receiving votes in the national polls, and nine losses have been by six points or less.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers are one of the nation's top teams in forcing turnovers with 22.3 per game (3rd in NCAA). Auburn is 12th in the nation in steals per game (11.6) and 6th nationwide in total steals (326). The Tigers are lead the SEC and rank 3rd in the nation in turnover margin (+8.2).
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Katie Frerking is Auburn's leading scorer with 16.2 points/game. She also leads the Tigers in rebounds (6.3) and steals (2.5). Her 2.5 steals per game are second in the SEC and rank 42nd in the nation. Frerking has posted five double-doubles this season and had a career-high 32 points at Texas A&M on Feb. 5. 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 13.7 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 Auburn closes out the regular season Sunday, Feb. 26, at Arkansas. Tip is 2 p.m. on SEC Network.