Women's hoops hosts North Carolina A&T for home opener

Nov. 15, 2017

AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Auburn women's basketball plays its 2017-18 home opener Thursday, Nov. 16, as North Carolina A&T visits Auburn Arena for a 6 p.m. CT tip.

Thursday's game is Military Appreciation Night at Auburn Arena. All active, veteran and retired military personnel and their families receive free admission by showing a military ID at the ticket window. Fans may also pick up the official Auburn women's basketball posters and schedule magnets while supplies last.

The Tigers (0-1) enter Thursday's game looking to bounce back from a season-opening 72-63 loss at Virginia Tech on Monday night. The loss was not without its positives, however - sophomore Daisa Alexander scored a career-high 19 points off the bench, and freshman Unique Thompson pulled down 16 rebounds, the most by an Auburn freshman in more than 17 years.

Auburn will face a North Carolina A&T team (1-1) that defeated Georgia Southern 60-49 in its season opener before falling to Elon 90-59 on Monday night. The Tigers are 5-0 all-time against the Aggies, including a 68-36 victory in Greensboro, N.C., last season.

Jeff Shearer and Joe Ciampi will have the call on SEC Network +, available via WatchESPN and the ESPN app for mobile devices. Andy Burcham begins his 30th season on the mic for the Auburn Sports Network, and the radio broadcast will begin at 5:45 p.m. CT on WTGZ 93.9 FM in Auburn. Fans can also listen online via TuneIn Radio, at AuburnTigers.com, or via the official Auburn Tigers app.

Promotions

- Military Appreciation Night - Free admission for active/veteran/retired military personnel and their families with military ID.
- Schedule Magnet Giveaway - Free Auburn women's basketball schedule magnets while supplies last.

Auburn Quick Hitters

- Auburn has won 38 consecutive home openers; last home-opener loss was 11/20/78 vs. Florida
- Thursday is the sixth all-time meeting between Auburn and North Carolina A&T
- Auburn is 5-0 all-time against North Carolina A&T, including a 3-0 mark in Auburn
- N.C. A&T will be visiting Auburn Arena for the first time, the three previous meetings were at Beard-Eaves Coliseum
- Auburn won last year's meeting 68-36 in Greensboro, it was Auburn's largest margin of victory of the season
- Auburn is 18-2 all-time against current members of the MEAC
- Auburn is in its 47th season of women's basketball and has 899 program wins
- Sophomore Daisa Alexander scored a career-high 19 points in the season opener at Virginia Tech (11/13); she scored 26 points all of her freshman season
- Freshman Unique Thompson became the sixth Auburn freshman since 2005 to earn a start in her first collegiate game; she played 34 minutes in the opener at Virginia Tech
- Thompson pulled down 16 rebounds at Virginia Tech, the most by an Auburn player since Tra'Cee Tanner had 19 at Florida Gulf Coast in 2015
- Junior Emari Jones had a career-high 7 rebounds at Virginia Tech (11/13)
- Auburn's 52 rebounds at Virginia Tech were the most since pulling down 57 in an overtime loss at Marquette in 2015
- The Tigers are 2-1 all-time on Nov. 16; last game was an 80-68 win at SE Louisiana in 2015
- Auburn is 131-37 all-time in the month of November; Coach Flo is 23-10 in November at Auburn
- Auburn is 58-27 in non-conference games under Terri Williams-Flournoy
- Coach Flo has a 33-3 record in home non-conference games at Auburn

Last Time Out

ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Sophomore Daisa Alexander scored a career-high 19 points and freshman Unique Thompson pulled down 16 rebounds in her collegiate debut, but Auburn could not hold onto a halftime lead in a 72-63 loss at Virginia Tech Monday night.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers led 32-28 at the half and were lights-out from the field in the first 10 minutes, but poor free-throw shooting and missed layups proved to be the Tigers' downfall in the season opener.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º A four-point halftime lead evaporated in the third quarter as the Hokies opened the period on an 8-0 run to take a 36-34 lead and push that to a 48-41 advantage after three quarters. Auburn had ample opportunities at the free-throw line to keep the game within reach, but the Tigers were 12-for-26 (46.2%) at the charity stripe for the game while Virginia Tech (2-0) knocked down 15-of-22 attempts at the line.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Thompson missed a double-double in her Auburn debut by one point with nine points and 16 rebounds. Her rebounding total was the highest by an Auburn player since Tra'Cee Tanner had 19 at Florida Gulf Coast during the 2015-16 season. Janiah McKay had 15 points and a team-high five assists.

Noteworthy

A WIN OVER N.C. A&T WOULD...
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Be the 900th victory in Auburn women's basketball history.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Give Auburn its 39th consecutive win in a home opener.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Improve Auburn to 34-3 in non-conference home games under Terri Williams-Flournoy.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Move Auburn to 6-0 all-time against N.C. A&T.

AUBURN-N.C. A&T SERIES
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º This is the sixth meeting all-time between Auburn and North Carolina A&T. The Tigers have won all five previous meetings.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º This is NC A&T's first visit to Auburn Arena. The three previous meetings in Auburn were at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum.

SCOUTING NORTH CAROLINA A&T
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º North Carolina A&T finished 14-18 overall last season, 8-8 in MEAC play, and tied for sixth in the conference. The Aggies were an NCAA Tournament team in 2016.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Aggies defeated Georgia Southern 60-49 in their season opener Friday night before falling at home to Elon 90-59 on Monday.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º C'Coriea Foy, a transfer from Alabama, leads the Aggies with 15.5 ppg. Cinia McCray has scored 13.5 per game through their first two.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Head coach Tarrell Robinson picked up his 100th career win in the season opener. He is in his sixth season at North Carolina A&T.

LAST MEETING (Nov. 17, 2016):
AUBURN 68, NORTH CAROLINA A&T 36
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Sparked by a 25-2 run that spanned most of the second quarter, Auburn women's basketball pulled away early and cruised to a 68-36 victory at North Carolina A&T.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º For the second straight game, the Tigers forced their opponent into 25-plus turnovers, pushing the Aggies into 27 giveaways that turned into 26 Auburn points. The Tigers also held the Aggies to single-digit scoring in three of four quarters.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Brandy Montgomery led the Tigers with 18 points. Katie Frerking added 15 points, at least six rebounds, five assists and a career-high seven steals.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers shot an even 50 percent from the floor (27-of-54) and were 5-of-15 (33.3%) from 3-point range. Auburn out-rebounded the Aggies 42-34; Jessica Jones led the way with eight boards.

SCOUTING AUBURN
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn returns three starters and eight letterwinners from its 2016-17 team that finished 17-15 overall and advanced to the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn averaged 62.4 points per game last season but lost almost half of that in three graduating seniors: Katie Frerking (15.7 ppg), Brandy Montgomery (13.3 ppg) and Khady Dieng (1.1 ppg).
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Junior point guard Janiah McKay is the Tigers' leading returning scorer after averaging 12.9 ppg last season. She also is the leading returner in assists (3.4/game) and minutes played (28.3/game). She led the Tigers in scoring eight times last season and had her first career double-double with 13 points and 13 assists vs. Ole Miss.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Senior forwards Jazmine and Jessica Jones are the TIgers' other two returning starters. Jessica Jones is the team's leading returner in rebounds (5.2/game) and steals (1.4/game) and averaged 3.8 points last season. Jazmine Jones averaged 4.5 points and 4.3 rebounds last season and was a key component of Auburn's trademark pressure defense.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Senior Tiffany Lewis enters the starting lineup this season. She is Auburn's leading returner in made 3-point field goals with 23 last season. Freshman Unique Thompson is the Tigers' fifth starter; she averaged 18 points and 13 rebounds as a high school senior last season.

EVERYTHING'S COMING UP DAISA
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Sophomore Daisa Alexander played the best game of her collegiate career in Auburn's opener at Virginia Tech, setting career-highs in scoring (19), steals (4) and assists (3) while playing a career-high 22 minutes off the bench.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Alexander averaged 5.7 minutes as a freshman, playing behind then-senior Brandy Montgomery, while scoring 1.3 points per game. She scored 26 points all of her freshman season with a previous career-high of 7 against Jacksonville.

A UNIQUE TALENT FROM DAY ONE
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Freshman Unique Thompson made an immediate impact in her first collegiate game, posting a 9-point, 16-rebound performance at Virginia Tech on Nov. 13. She became the sixth Auburn freshman since 2005 to earn a start in her collegiate debut.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Thompson's 16 rebounds were the most by an Auburn player since Tra'Cee Tanner had 19 at Florida Gulf Coast on Dec. 30, 2015. It marked the most by an Auburn freshman since Le'Coe Willingham had 16 vs. South Carolina on Feb. 3, 2000.

SHE'S THE REAL MCKAY
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Junior Janiah McKay continues to be Auburn's do-everything player in her third year as the Tigers' starting point guard. In the Tigers' opener at Virginia Tech, she scored 15 points along with five rebounds and five assists.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º McKay has moved into the Auburn career top-30 in assists with 190 in her career; she currently ranks 29th. She is also 266 points away from 1,000 in her career.

Looking Ahead

ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn plays host to Louisiana Tech at 6 p.m. Sunday at Auburn Arena.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Sunday's game is part of a doubleheader with Auburn Volleyball, who faces Mississippi State at 1:30 p.m.