Auburn women wrap up regular season at Arkansas

Feb. 25, 2017

Opening Tip

ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn plays its final game of the 2016-17 regular season Sunday as the Tigers travel to Fayetteville, Ark., to face the Arkansas Razorbacks. Game time is 2 p.m. CT at Bud Walton Arena.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn is 16-13 overall, 6-9 SEC, and snapped a six-game losing streak with a come-from-behind 54-49 win over LSU Thursday night. Arkansas is 13-15 overall, 2-13 SEC, after dropping a 66-64 heartbreaker at Vanderbilt.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Andy Burcham and Taylor Jones have the call on WTGZ 93.9 FM beginning at 1:45 p.m.; also available at AuburnTigers.com and the official Auburn Tigers app on mobile devices. The game is also available on SEC Network with Bob Picozzi and Fran Harris calling the action.

Auburn Quick Hitters

- As of Feb. 24, Auburn ranks third in the nation in turnovers forced (22.5/game), is 10th in the nation in steals (11.7/game), and third in turnover margin (+8.3)
- This is the 36th meeting between Auburn and Arkansas, the 34th since Arkansas joined the SEC in 1992
- Auburn is 21-14 all-time against Arkansas, but the teams are tied 8-8 in Fayetteville
- Auburn won its last meeting with Arkansas 71-60 in overtime at home last season
- The Tigers snapped a 6-game losing streak with their win over LSU Thursday night, finishing the game on an 11-1 run over the final 1:29 for a 54-49 win
- Auburn is 8-0 this season and 36-6 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; 29 vs. LSU
- 21 of 29 Auburn opponents have committed at least 20 turnovers; Auburn is 15-6 in those games
- Auburn averages 24.0 points per game off opponent turnovers; the Tigers are 12-2 when scoring at least 25
- Four of Auburn's opponents have been held to a season-low scoring total
- Senior Katie Frerking scored a career-high 32 points at Texas A&M (2/5), her second 30-point game this year
- Frerking was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team last week and the SEC Community Service Team this week
- Senior Khady Dieng made 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
- 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

Last Time Out

ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn finished the game on an 11-1 run over the final 90 seconds to pull off a come-from-behind 54-49 win over LSU Thursday night at Auburn Arena.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º On a night when shots simply would not fall for Auburn, the Tigers (16-13, 6-9 SEC) found a way to win, getting key stops, forcing turnovers, taking charges and sinking free throws down the stretch to snap a six-game losing streak.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Brandy Montgomery led Auburn with 15 points on her Senior Night. The other two seniors, Katie Frerking and Khady Dieng, shared the team lead with six rebounds; Frerking also had 10 points. Sophomore Janiah McKay added 14 points to give Auburn three players in double-figures.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn shot just 29 percent for the game (19-of-65), but made two more field goals than LSU (17-10, 7-8 SEC), who was 17-of-44 (38.6%) from the field. But Auburn forced LSU into 29 turnovers ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" the second-most ever by an SEC opponent against Auburn ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" converting those into 28 points.

Noteworthy

A WIN OVER ARKANSAS WOULD...
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Give Auburn its 17th win of the season, securing a winning record for the second-straight year.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º End the regular season on a two-game win streak.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Be Auburn's second-straight win over Arkansas.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Ensure Auburn plays in the 8-9 game in the SEC Tournament.

SEC TOURNAMENT SCENARIOS
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º With a win over Arkansas, Auburn would be the No. 8 or No. 9 seed in the SEC Tournament and play at 11 a.m. CT Thursday, March 2. Depending on the outcomes of the Georgia-Florida and LSU-Vanderbilt games, Auburn will face either Georgia or LSU.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º If Auburn falls to Arkansas, the Tigers would be either the 9th or 10th seed, depending on outcomes in the Missouri-Alabama and Ole Miss-Texas A&M games. Regardless, Auburn will face either Georgia or LSU in its first game of the tournament.

SERIES HISTORY
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn leads the all-time series with Arkansas 21-14. The teams have split the last 10 meetings, dating back to 2009. Auburn won last season's meeting in Auburn, 71-60, in overtime.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers and Razorbacks have split the 16 all-time meetings in Fayetteville. Arkansas won Auburn's last visit to Bud Walton Arena 52-47 in 2015.

LAST MEETING: AUBURN 71, ARKANSAS 60 (OT)
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º A 3-pointer from Brandy Montgomery with 8.6 seconds left sent the game to overtime, and Auburn outscored Arkansas 15-4 in the extra period for a 71-60 win on Jan. 24, 2016, at Auburn Arena.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers overcame a sluggish start and stayed close with Arkansas in a back-and-forth game that featured 12 ties and 11 lead changes. Turnovers were key - especially late in the game - as Auburn forced the Razorbacks into 28 turnovers.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn led 53-50 with just over a minute to play, but Arkansas tied the game on a 3-pointer from Devin Cosper at the 1:15 mark. After an Auburn turnover, the Razorbacks took the lead on a Kelsey Brooks trey with 15 seconds to play. The Tigers moved the ball into the frontcourt and called timeout to set up Montgomery's contested, overtime-forcing shot.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn never trailed in the extra period, shooting 75% (6-of-8) and holding Arkansas to 2-of-8 shooting (25%). The final margin was Auburn's largest lead of the game. Junior Katie Frerking - who had a monster game with 13 points, seven rebounds, six assists and six steals - scored five of her 13 points in overtime.

SCOUTING ARKANSAS
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Arkansas enters Sunday's season finale having lost nine straight and stand 13-15 overall, 2-13 in SEC play. Eight of the Razorbacks' losses in league play have been by single-digits.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Jessica Jackson averages 14.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game to lead Arkansas in both categories.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Arkansas is one of the SEC's best defensive teams, holding opponents to 59.7 points/game. The Razorbacks average 64.2/game.

SCOUTING AUBURN
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn is 16-13 for the season, 6-9 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 22.5 per game (3rd in NCAA). Auburn is 10th in the nation in steals per game (11.7) and 4th nationwide in total steals (339). The Tigers lead the SEC and rank 3rd in the nation in turnover margin (+8.3).
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Katie Frerking is Auburn's leading scorer with 16.0 points/game. She also leads the Tigers in rebounds (6.2) 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 13.8 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 1.0/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

Auburn will open SEC Tournament play Thursday in Greenville, S.C. Seeding, matchups and game time have yet to be determined; however, Auburn's opponent will be either Georgia or LSU.