Auburn women face Arkansas at home Sunday

Jan. 13, 2018

AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" The Auburn women's basketball team is back at home Sunday afternoon to host the Arkansas Razorbacks. Game time is 4 p.m. CT at Auburn Arena.

Sunday's game is presented by Verizon, who will provide free t-shirts to the first 400 fans. Sunday is also the first Dean's Challenge game of the season; the College of Liberal Arts, RBD Library and Student Affairs will be represented.

Auburn (10-6, 1-3 SEC) is coming off three straight games against nationally ranked opponents. The Tigers were competitive in all three, pushing No. 7 Tennessee and No. 19 Texas A&M to the brink and mounting a big comeback at No. 9 South Carolina before falling just short. After three straight games against ranked teams, the Tigers will not face another top-25 opponent for the next five games.

Junior Janiah McKay is closing in on a career milestone heading into Sunday's game - she needs just 11 more points for 1,000 in her career. She would be the 33rd 1,000-point scorer in Auburn history.

Arkansas (10-7, 1-3 SEC) has also dropped three straight games coming into Sunday. In their last outing, the Razorbacks dropped a 78-65 decision at Georgia.

The Tigers lead the all-time series with Arkansas 22-14, including an 11-5 edge in Auburn. Last season, the teams met in Fayetteville in the regular season finale with Auburn mounting a fourth-quarter comeback to earn a 70-64 win at Bud Walton Arena.

Andy Burcham and Larry DiChiara will have the radio call with Brit Bowen in the studio on WTGZ 93.9 FM; air time is 3:45 p.m. Fans can also listen online at AuburnTigers.com, TuneInRadio.com, or via the official Auburn Tigers app. Roy Philpott and Brooke Weisbrod will call the action on SEC Network.

Promotions

- Game Presented by Verizon - Free t-shirt to first 400 fans, courtesy of Verizon
- Dean's Challenge - College of Liberal Arts, RBD Library, Student Affairs

Auburn Quick Hitters

- This is the 37th meeting between Auburn and Arkansas in women's basketball
- Auburn leads the all-time series 22-14, including an 11-5 advantage in Auburn
- The Tigers have won the last two meetings and four of the last six
- Auburn earned a 70-64 victory in Fayetteville last season in the regular-season finale on Feb. 26
- Auburn ranks in the top 16 nationally in scoring defense (16th - 55.8); steals per game (3rd - 14.5); turnovers forced per game (3rd - 24.7) and turnover margin (3rd - +9.9).
- Auburn set a new school record by hitting 16-of-16 free throws in the game with Texas A&M (1/7)
- From the Tennessee game (1/4) into the third quarter of the South Carolina game (1/11), Auburn made 24 consecutive free throws
- The Tigers tied a school record for fewest turnovers with 5 vs. Florida on Dec. 31 while forcing the Gators into 28
- 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 15 of 16 games this season and 25+ turnovers in eight games
- Auburn has won 24 of its last 27 games when forcing at least 25 turnovers (6-2 this season)
- Auburn was the last FBS school in the country to remain unbeaten at home this school year in football, men's basketball and women's basketball
- Junior point guard Janiah McKay is Auburn's top scorer with 16.9 points/game; she also leads team and ranks fourth in SEC in assists (4.9) and second in SEC in steals (2.9)
- McKay was 11-of-11 on free throws vs. Texas A&M (1/7), tying an Auburn record held by 3 other players; she made 20 in a row over a four-game stretch from Florida (12/31) through South Carolina (1/11)
- McKay matched her career-high with 29 points vs. Louisiana Tech (11/19); also had 29 vs. UT and Alabama last year
- 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 earned a second SEC Freshman of the Week nod after back-to-back double-doubles vs. UL-Lafayette and Southern; her 29 points at ULL was a career-high and the second-most ever by an Auburn freshman
- Thompson has 4 double-doubles this season: LA Tech (16/14), ULL (29/12), Southern (18/10), SE Louisiana (10/11)
- 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
- Sophomore Daisa Alexander scored a career-high 19 points in the season opener at Virginia Tech (11/13); then topped that career-high with 25 points at Indiana (12/3); she also had 21 vs. Florida (12/31)
- Alexander is second on the team with 14.1 points/game; she has scored in double-figures in 14 of 16 games
- Alexander is third in the SEC with 2.6 steals/game
- Alexander had a career-high 6 assists vs. Texas A&M (1/7)

Last Time Out

ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Junior Janiah McKay scored 27 points and Auburn clawed back from a big early deficit, but the Tigers fell short to No. 9 South Carolina 71-63 Thursday night in front of 12,011 fans at Colonial Life Arena.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers found themselves trailing by as many as 22 points early in the second quarter but continued to chip away throughout the remainder of the game, pulling as close as six points midway through the fourth quarter. But the Gamecocks held on despite being outscored 53-41 over the final three periods.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º McKay's 27 points led all scorers on the night and were two shy of a career-high. She was 8-of-18 from the field and 11-of-13 from the free-throw line. Her streak of 20 consecutive made free throws came to an end, but she has now made 25 of her last 27 dating back to the Florida game.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Sophomore Daisa Alexander chipped in 17 points with seven coming in the fourth quarter. She was a perfect 5-for-5 at the free throw line and has yet to miss from the charity stripe in SEC play. Freshman Unique Thompson led the Tigers with 11 rebounds, and senior Jazmine Jones added 8 points and 5 rebounds.

Noteworthy

A WIN OVER ARKANSAS WOULD...
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Be Auburn's third straight against the Razorbacks.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Snap a 3-game losing streak.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Improve Auburn to 8-1 at home this season.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Be Coach Flo's 99th win at Auburn.

AUBURN vs. ARKANSAS
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn leads the all-time series with Arkansas 22-14. The Tigers own an 11-5 advantage in games played in Auburn.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers have won the last two meetings and four of the last six. The teams are 5-5 against one another in the last 10 outings.

LAST MEETING (Feb. 26, 2017, in Fayetteville):
AUBURN 70, ARKANSAS 64
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn used a 30-point fourth quarter to fight back from a seven-point deficit to end the regular season with a 70-64 win at Arkansas.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers shot 62.5 percent in the fourth quarter after two offensively challenged periods that saw the Razorbacks build a seven-point lead going into the final quarter. But Auburn opened the period on a 17-5 run and never trailed again.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Three players finished in double-figures for Auburn. Brandy Montgomery led the Tigers with 18 points, Janiah McKay had 17 and Katie Frerking had 16. Eleven of McKay's 17 points came in the pivotal fourth quarter, and Frerking had her sixth double-double with 10 rebounds. She also had five assists, three blocks and two steals.

SCOUTING ARKANSAS
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Arkansas is 10-7 overall, 1-3 in SEC play. The Razorbacks have dropped three straight games, including a 78-65 loss at Georgia on Thursday night.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Razorbacks average 70.6 points/game while holding opponents to 69.9. Arkansas is second in the SEC with 7.8 made 3-pointers per game.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Malica Monk leads Arkansas in scoring (16.5/game), assists (4.0/game), steals (1.8/game) and minutes played (33.5). Devin Cosper is second on the team with 16.2 points/game, and Kiara Williams leads with 7.5 rebounds/game.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Arkansas is in its first year under head coach Mike Neighbors. Neighbors led Washington to the Final Four in 2016.

SCOUTING AUBURN
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn is 10-6 on the season, 1-3 SEC, coming off close losses to three straight top-20 opponents. The Tigers will face just three more current ranked opponents the rest of the regular season.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers are scoring 65.4 points per game while holding opponents to an SEC-best 55.8. Auburn's scoring defense ranks 16th nationally.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Junior point guard Janiah McKay has scored in double-figures in 15 of the Tigers' 16 games, including matching a career-high with 29 vs. Louisiana Tech. She also ranks second in the SEC in steals (2.9/game) and is fourth in assists (4.9/game).
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Freshman Unique Thompson has been a breakout star, twice earning SEC Freshman of the Week honors while averaging 11.2 points and 9.2 rebounds. She has four double-doubles on the season, including three straight vs. ULL, Southern and Southeastern La. She had her best SEC game against Texas A&M with 22 points and 9 rebounds.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Senior forward Jazmine Jones is averaging 6.0 points/game. She had a season-high 9 rebounds vs. Texas A&M.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Junior Emari Jones earned her first career start vs. North Carolina A&T on Nov. 16 and has remained in the lineup ever since. She scored a career-high 18 points vs. Florida and is averaging 5.1 points and 3.6 rebounds.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Sophomore Daisa Alexander has been another breakout star, averaging 14.1 points off the bench. In just 20 minutes vs. Indiana, she scored a career-high 25 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter to help Auburn pull away. She added 21 points in the win over Florida, 17 vs. Texas A&M and 16 at South Carolina.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn has forced at least 20 turnovers in 15 of 16 games this season and has forced 25 or more eight times (29 vs. LA Tech; 25 vs. Northwestern, 35 vs. ULM; 26 vs. Southern; 31 vs. SE Louisiana; 30 vs. XULA; 28 vs. Florida; 28 at Tennessee).

Looking Ahead

ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers travel to Baton Rouge, La., on Thursday to take on the LSU Lady Tigers. Game time is 7 p.m. at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.