Auburn women's hoops travels to Texas A&M Sunday

Feb. 3, 2017

AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Auburn women's basketball hits the road again Sunday, traveling to College Station, Texas, to face Texas A&M at 1 p.m.

Auburn (15-8, 5-4 SEC) seeks its first-ever victory over the Aggies and looks to snap a three-game skid in College Station. The Tigers look to bounce back after dropping their last game, a 77-47 home decision to No. 5 Mississippi State Thursday night. In that game, Auburn cut a 21-point deficit to as few as six in the second half before MSU went on a 17-0 run to put the game out of reach.

Texas A&M (16-6, 6-3 SEC) picked up a home victory over Florida Thursday night, downing the Gators 84-76. The Aggies are 10-1 at home this season with their only loss to Southern California in November.

The teams met in Auburn last season with the Aggies claiming a 57-49 victory on Feb. 25.

Andy Burcham and Brit Bowen will have the radio broadcast on WTGZ 93.9 FM beginning at 12:45 p.m. CT. Fans can also listen live via TuneIn Radio or the above link to AuburnTigers.com. Fans can watch the game on SEC Network with Paul Sunderland and Nell Fortner calling the action; the game is also available online via WatchESPN.com or the ESPN app on mobile devices.

Auburn Quick Hitters

- As of Feb. 3, Auburn ranks third in the nation in turnovers forced (23.0/game), is ninth in the nation in steals (12.1/game), and third in turnover margin (+8.4)
- This is the ninth meeting between Auburn and Texas A&M
- Auburn is 0-8 against the Aggies, including an 0-3 mark in College Station
- Six of the Aggies' eight wins in the series have come since Texas A&M joined the SEC in 2012-13
- No. 11 Texas A&M won last year's meeting 57-49 in Auburn
- Auburn is 11-11 all-time on Super Bowl Sunday
- This is the second time in three years for Auburn to play at Texas A&M on Super Bowl Sunday
- Auburn's win over Alabama ;ast 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 last 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
- 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
- 17 of 23 Auburn opponents have committed at least 20 turnovers; Auburn is 14-3 in those games
- Auburn averages 25.6 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 16.1 points/game; Brandy Montgomery is second with 14.7 points/game
- Frerking also leads Auburn in rebounds (6.3) and steals (2.8)
- 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

Last Time Out

ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn got 17 points from Brandy Montgomery and 13 from Katie Frerking, but No. 5/4 Mississippi State pulled away in the fourth quarter to down the Tigers 77-47 Thursday night at Auburn Arena.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers (15-8, 5-4 SEC) cut what had been a 21-point first-quarter deficit to as few as six points in the third, but the Bulldogs (22-1, 8-1) used a big run over the end of the third and start of the fourth quarters to gain an insurmountable lead.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Montgomery's 17 points tied for the game-high with MSU's Victoria Vivians. Jazmine Jones, Erica Sanders and Emari Jones tied for the Auburn lead in rebounds with four apiece, and Khady Dieng contributed three steals.

Noteworthy

A WIN OVER TEXAS A&M WOULD...
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-ever win over Texas A&M.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Be Auburn's fourth SEC road win of the season.

SERIES HISTORY
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Texas A&M leads the all-time series 8-0. The Aggies are 3-0 in College Station.

LAST MEETING: #11 TAMU 57, AUBURN 49 (2/25/16)
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn fought to the last minute with No. 11 Texas A&M but came up just short in a 57-49 loss at Auburn Arena.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º In a game that featured eight ties and six lead changes, mostly in the third quarter, the Tigers went cold in the final minutes while Texas A&M knocked down their free throws in the fourth quarter to pull away for the eight-point win.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn led by as many as eight in the second quarter, but saw that lead shrink to four at the half as the Aggies made two late buckets to make it 27-23. After the teams traded blows throughout most of the third quarter, A&M tied it up at 37-all with 3:03 to play. The score was still tied at 41-41 in the final seconds, but A&M's Jordan Jones drove the length of the floor after a blocked shot at the other end to give the Aggies a 43-41 lead at the third-quarter buzzer.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Brandy Montgomery led the Tigers with 13 points while Jazmine Jones added nine and Tra'Cee Tanner had six. Tanner was the Tigers' leading rebounder with seven, and Katie Frerking finished with six points, five steals, three assists and three rebounds.

SCOUTING TEXAS A&M
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Texas A&M is 16-6 overall, 6-3 in SEC play, and has won two of their last three games, including an 84-76 win over Florida Thursday night.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Aggies are among the top-shooting teams in the country, averaging 45.3% from the field (25th NCAA). They also out-rebound their opponent by an average of 7.9 per game (21st NCAA).
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Danni Williams is A&M's leading scorer with 17.5 points per game. Anriel Howard averages a double-double with 10.5 points and 11.0 rebounds/game (2nd SEC), and Curtyce Knox is the national leader in assists per game with 9.5.

SCOUTING AUBURN
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn is 15-8 for the season, 5-4 in SEC play. Seven of Auburn's eight 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 seven games.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers are one of the nation's top teams in forcing turnovers with 23.0 per game (3rd in NCAA). Auburn is 9th in the nation in steals per game (12.1) and 3rd nationwide in total steals (279). The Tigers are first in the SEC and rank third in the nation in turnover margin (+8.4).
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Katie Frerking is Auburn's leading scorer with 16.1 points/game. She also leads the Tigers in rebounds (6.3) and steals (2.8). Her 2.8 steals per game are second in the SEC and rank 31st 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 14.7 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 1.1/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.

SUPER BOWL SUNDAY NOTES
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn is 11-11 all-time on Super Bowl Sunday. This will be the 20th straight season the Tigers have played on the date of the big game.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers are 4-2 at home and 7-9 on the road on Super Bowl Sunday. This will be the sixth straight Super Bowl Sunday Auburn has played on the road.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º This is the second time in three years for Auburn to play at Texas A&M on Super Bowl Sunday. The Patriots have been in the game both times.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn's most common opponent on Super Sunday is Mississippi State. The teams have met five times with the Bulldogs winning three.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn is 0-1 when the Falcons play in the Super Bowl and 2-4 when the Patriots play.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º In Atlanta's only prior Super Bowl appearance (XXXIII), Auburn dropped an overtime road game at LSU 63-61 on Jan. 31, 1999.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º NFC teams are 7-4 when Auburn wins; AFC teams are 8-3 when Auburn loses on Super Sunday.

Looking Ahead

The Tigers wrap up a stretch of four out of five games on the road Thursday when they travel to Columbia, S.C., to face No. 4 South Carolina at 6 p.m. CT.