Auburn women face road test at Indiana Sunday

Dec. 2, 2017

AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" The Auburn women's basketball team plays its second true road game of the season Sunday, traveling to Bloomington, Ind., to face the Indiana Hoosiers. Game time is 1 p.m. CT at Assembly Hall.

The Tigers (4-3) are coming off a 67-41 win over Louisiana-Monroe on Wednesday night where Auburn forced a season-high 35 turnovers, turning those into 31 points. Pressure defense has remained a key component of the Tigers' game plan this season; Auburn has forced 20 or more opponent turnovers in each game so far.

As of Nov. 30, Auburn's defense ranked in the top 10 nationally in steals (7th - 14.4/game), turnovers forced (24.9/game) and scoring defense (9th - 52.0/game). Sophomore Daisa Alexander is second in the SEC in steals with 2.6/game.

Indiana (4-3) enters Sunday's game off a 72-59 loss to No. 4 Louisville on Thursday night. The Hoosiers are coming off one of their best seasons in program history in 2016-17 where they won 23 games and advanced to the quarterfinals of the WNIT.

The teams met at Auburn Arena last season on Nov. 27. That day, the Tigers trailed by 17 points with just over nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter before mounting a stirring comeback to earn a 71-67 win.

Brit Bowen will have the radio call beginning at 12:45 p.m. CT on WQSI 95.9 FM in Auburn; fans can also listen at TuneInRadio.com. The game can also be seen online via Big Ten Network Plus, but a subscription is required.

Auburn Quick Hitters

- Auburn finished November at 4-3 following a win over UL-Monroe on Wednesday night
- This is Auburn's second all-time meeting with Indiana; the first came last season in Auburn
- Auburn rallied from a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Indiana 71-67 on Nov. 27, 2016, in Auburn
- This is Auburn's fifth game all-time to be played in the state of Indiana and the first since 2010
- The Tigers are 25-14 all-time against current members of the Big Ten
- Auburn forced a season-high 35 turnovers vs. UL-Monroe, second-most under Williams-Flournoy and 8th-most in Auburn history
- Auburn has forced at least 20 turnovers in all seven games this season
- Auburn has won 20 of its last 22 games when forcing at least 25 turnovers (2-1 this season)
- Junior point guard Janiah McKay is Auburn's top scorer with 15.7 points/game; she also leads team in assists (4.3) and is second in steals (2.4)
- McKay matched her career-high with 29 points vs. Louisiana Tech (11/19); also had 29 vs. Tennessee and Alabama last year; she's scored at least 15 in 5 of 7 games this year
- McKay had a career-high 8 rebounds vs. North Carolina A&T (11/16)
- Freshman Unique Thompson was named SEC Freshman of the Week after her first career double-double (16 pts, 14 rebs) vs. Louisiana Tech (11/19); she had 10 points and 10 rebounds by halftime
- Thompson had six blocks vs. LA Tech, most for Auburn player since 2011 (Jassany Williams, 7 vs. Duke)
- 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
- Thompson is averaging a double-double through five games played with 10.8 points and 10.0 rebounds
- Thompson missed the last two games with injury suffered vs. Northwestern (11/25)
- 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
- Alexander is second on the team with 11.7 points/game; she has scored in double-figures in five of seven games
- Junior Erica Sanders had a career-high 6 steals vs. Louisiana Tech (11/19)
- Junior Emari Jones had a career-high 7 rebounds at Virginia Tech (11/13) and earned her first start vs. N.C. A&T (11/16)
- Auburn's win over North Carolina A&T on Nov. 16 was the 900th win in program history, dating back to 1971-72
- Auburn is the 24th program in NCAA Division I to win 900 women's basketball games
- Auburn's 52 rebounds at Virginia Tech were the most since pulling down 57 in an overtime loss at Marquette in 2015
- Auburn is 226-55 all-time in the month of December; Coach Flo is 26-9 in December at Auburn

Last Time Out

ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn forced a season-high 35 turnovers, turning those into 31 points in a 67-41 victory over Louisiana-Monroe at Auburn Arena Wednesday night.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers (4-3) got 21 points from junior Janiah McKay and 16 from sophomore Daisa Alexander and overcame an early barrage from the Warhawks (2-3) to post their largest margin of victory this season.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn's 35 forced turnovers tied for the second-most under Williams-Flournoy and the eighth-most in program history. The Tigers also matched a season-high with 21 steals on the night.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º McKay's 21 points led all scorers as she was 7-of-12 from the field and a perfect 6-of-6 at the free-throw line. Alexander had her fifth game in double-figures this season with 16 points. Junior Erica Sanders added a season-high eight, one shy of a career-high, along with five rebounds.

Noteworthy

A WIN OVER INDIANA WOULD...
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Improve Auburn to 2-0 all-time against Indiana
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Be Auburn's first road win of the season

AUBURN vs. INDIANA
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º This will be just the second meeting between Auburn and Indiana in women's basketball. Auburn won last year's first meeting 71-67 at Auburn Arena on Nov. 27.

LAST MEETING (Nov. 27, 2016, in Auburn):
AUBURN 71, INDIANA 67
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Trailing by 17 with less than nine minutes to play, Auburn mounted a furious fourth-quarter comeback to earn a 71-67 victory over Indiana at Auburn Arena.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers scored 32 points in the fourth quarter -- 16 of them from senior Brandy Montgomery -- and went 11-for-12 at the free-throw line in the final period to put the Hoosiers away in the closing seconds.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Montgomery finished with a season-high 28 points, and Frerking added a season-high 21 and matched a career-high with seven steals. Frerking was also Auburn's leading rebounder with six. McKay finished with 12 points, including a perfect 6-for-6 night at the free-throw line.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º It proved to be the first of three games in 2016-17 where Auburn trailed by 17 points and came from behind to win. Auburn also pulled off the feat at Vanderbilt (Jan. 12) and at home against Tennessee (Jan. 19).

SCOUTING INDIANA
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Indiana is 4-3 on the season with victories over Arkansas State, Southern, Western Kentucky and Louisville. The Hoosiers fell at home to Chattanooga and #4 Louisville and at St. Mary's. IU received votes in the latest USA Today Coaches' Poll.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Hoosiers average 71.9 points/game while holding opponents to 65.4. IU shoots 43.8% from the floor, including 34.4% from 3-point range.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Tyra Buss leads Indiana with 21.1 points/game while playing 38.6 minutes per night. Amanda Cahill is the team's leading rebounder with 9.4/game; she has five double-doubles on the season.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Indiana finished 23-11 overall last season for the most wins in program history and advanced to the WNIT quarterfinals.

SCOUTING AUBURN
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn is 4-3 through November wins over N.C. A&T, Louisiana Tech, Georgetown and UL-Monroe.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers are scoring 59.6 points per game while holding opponents to 52.0. Auburn's scoring defense ranks 10th nationally.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Junior point guard Janiah McKay has scored 15 or more points in five of Auburn's first seven games, including matching a career-high with 29 vs. Louisiana Tech. She averaged 12.9 ppg last season, tops among returning players. 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. Jessica pulled down 10 rebounds in a win over N.C. A&T, and Jazmine matched a career-high with five steals vs. ULM.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Freshman Unique Thompson has been a breakout star in the Tigers' first few games, averaging 10.8 points and 10.0 rebounds. She had a double-double vs. Louisiana Tech to earn SEC Freshman of the Week honors.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Junior Emari Jones earned her first career start vs. North Carolina A&T on Nov. 16. She has averaged 3.8 points and 4.5 rebounds so far this year.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn has forced at least 20 turnovers in all seven games this season and has forced 25 or more three times (29 vs. LA Tech; 25 vs. Northwestern, 35 vs. ULM).

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' first seven games, she has averaged 15.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.4 steals. Her 8 rebounds vs. N.C. A&T were a career-high.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º McKay has moved into the Auburn career top-30 in assists with 215 in her career; she currently ranks 21st. She is also 171 points away from 1,000 in her career.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º She matched a career-high with 29 points in the Tigers' win over Louisiana Tech on Nov. 19. McKay previously scored 29 vs. Tennessee and Alabama last season.

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. Those players were:
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.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º She followed that up with 11 points and 7 rebounds vs. N.C. A&T, then got her first career double-double with 16 points, 14 rebounds and 6 blocks vs. Louisiana Tech. Her performance earned her SEC Freshman of the Week honors on Nov. 21.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Thompson's 6 blocks vs. LA Tech were the most by an Auburn player since Jassany Williams had 7 vs. Duke in 2011. She also had 10 points and 10 rebounds in the first half, making her the first Auburn player with a double-double by halftime since DeWanna Bonner in 2009.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Thompson suffered an ankle injury vs. Northwestern and missed Auburn's next two games vs. Chattanooga and UL-Monroe.

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.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Alexander has scored in double-figures in five games this season, averaging 11.7 points/game. She had 12 points against N.C. A&T, 14 vs. Louisiana Tech and 16 vs. ULM.

DEFENSE - AUBURN STYLE
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn's full-court, high-energy pressure defense has become a signature of the Coach Flo era. In 2016-17, Auburn held 26 of 32 opponents below their season scoring average.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º So far in 2017-18, Auburn ranks 9th nationally in scoring defense (52.0 ppg), seventh in steals per game (14.4) and eighth in turnovers forced (24.9).
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º All seven Auburn opponents have been held at least six points below their season scoring averages this season

CLUB PRESS, BACK FOR A SIXTH YEAR
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º So far in 2017-18, Auburn has forced 24.9 turnovers and averaged 14.4 steals per game, scoring an average of 22.3 points off opponent turnovers.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º ULM's 35 turnovers on Nov. 29 tied for the second-most by Auburn under Coach Flo and the eighth-most in program history. The Tigers had 21 steals for the second time this season.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers forced Louisiana Tech into 29 turnovers on Nov. 19, which turned into 31 Auburn points. Auburn had 21 steals in the game, tying for the 10th-most in program history.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn is 2-1 this year and has won 20 of its last 22 games when forcing at least 25 turnovers.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn has had 20 or more steals 11 times in the Coach Flo era.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn set a school record in 2016-17 by forcing 709 opponent turnovers (22.2/game), breaking the previous mark of 702 from the 1986-87 season.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers forced 25 or more turnovers eight times and 20+ turnovers 22 times in 32 games last season. Auburn was 8-0 last year and is 37-6 under Coach Flo when forcing 25+ turnovers.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn averaged 11.5 steals per game in 2016-17, which ranked eighth in the nation.

AIR & WATER'S FREE, BUT THERE'S A CHARGE FOR GAS
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º At 535 miles, this trip to Indiana will be Auburn's longest non-conference trek of the season. Auburn's longest trip of the year is to College Station, Texas (780 miles) for an SEC game against Texas A&M on Feb. 4.

BACK HOME AGAIN IN INDIANA
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn will be playing in the state of Indiana for just the fifth time and the first time since 2010. Auburn's last appearance in the Hoosier State came against Purdue in Indianapolis in 2010.

Looking Ahead

ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn prepares for back-to-back games in different locales next weekend. The Tigers travel to Lafayette, La., to face UL-Lafayette at 7 p.m. Friday, then face a quick turnaround before facing Southern at home at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.