Rivalry Time: Auburn women host Alabama Sunday

Jan. 27, 2018

AUBURN, Ala. -- The Auburn women's basketball team is set to play host to its biggest rival on Sunday afternoon when the Alabama Crimson Tide visit Auburn Arena for a 4 p.m. CT tip.

Sunday is the annual "We Back Pat" Game as the SEC honors the life and legacy of former Tennessee coach Pat Summitt. The week-long initiative is focused on bringing awareness and recognition to The Pat Summitt Foundation and its fight against Alzheimer's disease.

It will also be Girl Scout Day at Auburn Arena, along with several other promotions. Kids' Club members can enjoy Aubie's Birthday Party in the Courtside Lounge following the game, and the Southeastern Raptor Center will have one of Auburn's famed eagles in attendance as well.

Auburn looks for its fifth win over Alabama in its last six tries. The Tigers seek to snap a losing skid in SEC play after four of their last six games have come against top-25 opponents. In Auburn's last outing, then-No. 24 Georgia pulled away late for a 60-48 win in Athens last Sunday. But Auburn has had the week to rest and heal up for the stretch run in SEC play.

Sophomore Daisa Alexander, who made her first two career starts in the last two games, has been Auburn's top offensive threat of late. She scored 20 points at LSU last Thursday in her first career start, then topped that with a 22-point effort at Georgia.

Alabama had a three-game win streak earlier this month but comes into Sunday's game having dropped three of its last four. The Tide fell at Kentucky on Thursday night, 79-54.

Andy Burcham, Larry DiChiara and Brit Bowen will have the radio call on WTGZ 93.9 FM beginning at 3:45 p.m.; fans can also listen online at AuburnTigers.com or via TuneIn Radio. SEC Network will carry the TV broadcast with Melissa Lee and Amanda Butler on the call.

Promotions

- We Back Pat - Student-athletes and managers will wear "We Back Pat" shirts; information on the Pat Summitt Foundation and purple ribbons will be available
- Girl Scout Day
- Tiger Paws Youth Clinic
- Balloon Artist, Caricature Artist, Eagle Appearance
- Aubie's Birthday Party - Postgame event in Courtside Lounge for Kids' Club Members
- Dean's Challenge - College of Agriculture, College of Engineering, College of Architecture, Design and Construction

Auburn Quick Hitters

- This is the 87th meeting between Auburn and Alabama in women's basketball, the second-most played series in the Southeastern Conference (behind Ole Miss-Mississippi State)
- Auburn leads the series 49-37, including a 29-10 advantage at home
- Alabama won the last meeting, but Auburn has won four of the last five and seven out of 10
- The teams split two games last season; Auburn won 66-55 in Tuscaloosa and Alabama won 63-61 (OT) in Auburn
- Auburn ranks in the top 6 nationally in steals per game (3rd - 14.3); turnovers forced per game (5th - 23.8) and turnover margin (6th - +7.7)
- Auburn leads the SEC in steals (14.3/game) and has three of the top 10 players in the league in steals: Janiah McKay (1st - 2.9), Daisa Alexander (2nd - 2.8); Jazmine Jones (10th - 1.8)
- In SEC play, Auburn is the league's top free-throw shooting team at 80.0% (88-of-110)
- Sophomore Daisa Alexander and freshman Abigayle Jackson made their first career starts at LSU (1/18)
- Alexander's 7 steals vs. LSU were the most by an Auburn player this season
- Alexander has led Auburn in scoring in the last two games (20 at LSU; 22 at Georgia)
- Alexander is second on the team with 13.6 points/game; she has scored in double-figures in 16 of 19 games
- Alexander had a career-high 6 assists vs. Texas A&M (1/7)
- 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 17 of 19 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)
- Junior point guard Janiah McKay is Auburn's top scorer with 16.5 points/game; she also leads team and ranks seventh in SEC in assists (4.4) and leads 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 scored 25+ points in three straight games (Texas A&M, South Carolina, Arkansas); she is the fourth Auburn player to accomplish that feat in the last 30 years
- McKay scored her 1,000th career point vs. Arkansas, becoming the 33rd player in Auburn history to hit that plateau
- 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 5 double-doubles this season: LA Tech (16/14), ULL (29/12), Southern (18/10), SE Louisiana (10/11), Arkansas (14/13); only two Auburn players have had more double-doubles as a freshman (DeWanna Bonner, Le'Coe Willingham)

Last Time Out

>> Sophomore Daisa Alexander scored a game-high 22 points, but Auburn faltered in the second half to drop a 60-48 decision at No. 24 Georgia on Sunday at Stegeman Coliseum.
>> The Tigers (10-9, 1-6 SEC) led by as many as eight points in the third quarter, but went cold for several stretches that included multiple turnovers, allowing Georgia (17-2, 5-1) to pull ahead and pull away late.
>> Alexander's 22 points marked her second straight game to lead the Tigers offensively, but she was the Tigers' only player in double figures. She also had a team-leading four steals. Freshman Unique Thompson led the Tigers with 12 rebounds, and Jazmine Jones added nine points and five rebounds.
>> The Tigers out-rebounded Georgia 37-35, their first time since the Florida game to pull down more boards against an SEC opponent. But Auburn shot 32.7 percent for the game compared to Georgia's 40.8 percent and made just 1-of-10 3-pointers on the day. Auburn committed 24 turnovers while forcing Georgia into 20; the Tigers scored 19 points off UGA's turnovers.

Noteworthy

AUBURN vs. ALABAMA
>> Auburn leads the all-time series with Alabama 49-37. The Tigers are 29-10 against Alabama at home, including a 5-2 record at Auburn Arena.
>> Auburn has won four of the last five and seven of the last nine meetings in the series, dating back to 2013. The Tigers have won five of the last six meetings in Auburn.
>> The teams split two meetings last year with each winning on the other's home court. Auburn earned a 66-55 win in Tuscaloosa on Jan. 29, 2017, then Alabama took home a 63-61 overtime win at Auburn Arena on Feb. 20.

LAST MEETING (Feb. 20, 2017, in Auburn):
ALABAMA 63, AUBURN 61 [OT]
>> Janiah McKay matched a career-high with 29 points, but an Alabama layup in the final seconds of overtime gave the Crimson Tide a 63-61 win at Auburn Arena.
>> Alabama's Hannah Cook broke a 61-all tie with 5.6 seconds left in overtime, and McKay's driving attempt at the buzzer would not fall to force a second extra period.
>> In a game that saw the lead change hands 16 times, Auburn gave up a six-point lead in the fourth quarter to an 11-0 Alabama run, then answered with a 7-0 run of its own to take a 53-51 lead. Cook hit a shot-clock beating jumper with 39 seconds left to tie the game, then missed two free throws with 0.3 seconds remaining on the clock to send the game to overtime.
>> McKay's 29 points matched her effort in the Tigers' win over Tennessee earlier that season. She made 11 field goals, including one 3-pointer, and was 6-of-7 at the free-throw line. She also had a team-leading four steals.Senior Katie Frerking was Auburn's only other player in double-figures with 16 points, including two big shots that tied the game in the extra period, and led the Tigers with four assists and three blocks. Jazmine Jones had eight rebounds to lead Auburn.

SCOUTING ALABAMA
>> Alabama is 14-7 overall and 4-4 in SEC play. The Crimson Tide had won three straight in SEC play before dropping three of their last four.
>> The Crimson Tide average 68.0 points/game while holding opponents to 59.8. In SEC play, Alabama is scoring 64.1 points and allowing 68.1.
>> Hannah Cook leads Alabama's offense with 11.3 points/game. Ashley Williams averages 10.9 points and is Alabama's top rebounder with 6.7/game. The Tide have seven players averaging at least 6.0 points per game. Ashley Knight ranks fourth in the SEC with 2.4 blocked shots per game.

SCOUTING AUBURN
>> Auburn is 10-9 on the season, 1-6 SEC, coming off a bye week following a 60-48 loss at No. 24 Georgia last Sunday.
>> The Tigers are scoring 63.6 points per game while holding opponents to 56.8/game, second-best in the SEC. Auburn's scoring defense ranks 26th nationally.
>> Junior point guard Janiah McKay has scored in double-figures in 17 of the Tigers' 19 games, including matching a career-high with 29 vs. Louisiana Tech. She also leads the SEC in steals (2.9/game) and is seventh in assists (4.4/game).
>> Freshman Unique Thompson has been a breakout star, twice earning SEC Freshman of the Week honors while averaging 11.1 points and 9.5 rebounds. She has five 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, then followed that up with a double-double against Arkansas (14 points/13 rebounds).
>> Senior forward Jazmine Jones is averaging 5.8 points/game. She had a season-high 9 rebounds vs. Texas A&M.
>> Sophomore Daisa Alexander has been another breakout star, averaging 14.4 points while coming off the bench in Auburn's first 17 games. 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. She made her first career start at LSU on Jan. 18, scoring 20 points and notching a career-high 7 steals, then scored 22 points at Georgia.
>> Auburn has forced at least 20 turnovers in 16 of 19 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

>> The Tigers are back on the road this week when they travel to Lexington, Ky., to take on the Kentucky Wildcats on Thursday night. Game time is 6 p.m. CT at UK's Memorial Coliseum.