Auburn women travel to Kentucky Thursday night

Jan. 31, 2018

AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" It's back to the road for the Auburn women's basketball team as the Tigers head north to take on the Kentucky Wildcats on Thursday night. Game time is set for 6 p.m. CT at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Ky.

The Tigers (11-9, 2-6 SEC) seek to build on the momentum from a 69-60 home victory over rival Alabama on Sunday. A season-high crowd of 3,357 fans at Auburn Arena saw five players score in double figures as the Tigers overcame an early nine-point deficit to turn that into a nine-point victory, snapping a six-game skid in SEC play.

Auburn is in the midst of a stretch where the Tigers play four of five games away from home. From Jan. 14 to Feb. 8, Auburn will have played just one home game before LSU visits Auburn Arena next Thursday.

Kentucky (11-11, 3-5 SEC), after struggling through the first part of conference play, has won two straight coming into Thursday's game. The Wildcats sprinted past Alabama 79-54 last Thursday then went on the road Monday night to earn a 76-65 victory at Arkansas.

The teams met once last season with the Wildcats eking out a 64-60 win at Auburn Arena on Jan. 22. A victory for Auburn Thursday night would be the Tigers' third true road win of the year and their first in SEC play. It would also be the first for Auburn in Lexington since the 2006 season.

Andy Burcham and Brit Bowen will call the action on the radio on WTGZ 93.9 FM with the pregame show beginning at 5:45 p.m. CT; fans can also listen online at AuburnTigers.com and via TuneIn Radio. SEC Network + will have the telecast; fans can watch via WatchESPN.com, SECNetwork.com or the ESPN app for mobile devices.

Auburn Quick Hitters

- This is the 48th meeting between Auburn and Kentucky in women's basketball in a series that dates to 1980
- Auburn leads the series 26-21 and has a 10-9 edge in Lexington
- Kentucky has won 9 of the last 10 meetings and six straight in Lexington dating back to 2006
- Kentucky won the only meeting last season, a 64-60 win in Auburn
- Auburn ranks in the top 6 nationally in steals per game (2nd - 14.3); turnovers forced per game (5th - 23.9) and turnover margin (6th - +7.8)
- 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 (9th - 1.9)
- In SEC play, Auburn is the league's top free-throw shooting team at 79.4% (108-of-136)
- 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
- Five players scored in double figures for Auburn vs. Alabama, the first time for that since 12/29/14 at FIU
- 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 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)
- 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 18 of 20 games this season and 25+ turnovers in nine games
- Auburn has won 25 of its last 28 games when forcing at least 25 turnovers (7-2 this season)
- Junior point guard Janiah McKay is Auburn's top scorer with 16.6 points/game; she also leads team and ranks seventh in SEC in assists (4.5) 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
- 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 6 double-doubles this season: LA Tech (16/14), ULL (29/12), Southern (18/10), SE Louisiana (10/11), Arkansas (14/13), Alabama (14/11); only one Auburn player has had more double-doubles as a freshman (Le'Coe Willingham)
- Junior Emari Jones scored a career-high 18 points in the Tigers' win over Florida (12/31); she added 11 vs. Alabama (1/28)

Last Time Out

ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Junior Janiah McKay led five Auburn players in double-figures as the Tigers defeated rival Alabama, 69-60, before a season-high crowd of 3,357 fans Sunday afternoon at Auburn Arena.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers (11-9, 2-6 SEC) overcame a slow start to pull ahead of Alabama midway through the second quarter and never looked back, forcing the Crimson Tide (14-8, 4-5 SEC) into 25 turnovers that turned into 29 Auburn points.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º McKay's 18 points led all scorers; she also had a game-high five assists along with four rebounds and two steals. Freshman Unique Thompson recorded her sixth double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Sophomore Daisa Alexander scored 12 points, and junior Emari Jones and senior Tiffany Lewis added 10 and 11 points, respectively, off the bench -- just one game after the Tigers' bench was held scoreless at Georgia. It was the first time for Auburn to have five players in double-figures since the 2014-15 season at Florida International.

Noteworthy

A WIN OVER KENTUCKY WOULD...
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Be Coach Flo's 100th win at Auburn.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Be Auburn's first win in Lexington since 2006.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Snap a four-game road losing streak.

AUBURN vs. KENTUCKY
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn leads the all-time series with Kentucky 26-21, including a 10-9 edge in games played in Lexington. However, Kentucky has won the last six meetings between the teams on its home court.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Kentucky has won nine of the last 10 meetings between the teams. The Tigers' last win came in the 2016 SEC opener when Auburn defeated then-No. 7 Kentucky 66-61 at Auburn Arena.

LAST MEETING (Jan. 22, 2017, in Auburn):
KENTUCKY 64, AUBURN 60
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Brandy Montgomery scored a game-high 22 points, but Auburn fell just short in a back-and-forth contest with Kentucky, 64-60, at Auburn Arena.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers saw a three-game winning streak snapped at the hands of the Wildcats. The teams traded the lead nine times over the course of the game, including five times in the fourth quarter, but Auburn was unable to get a pair of key defensive stops late as Kentucky scored on its final two possessions to secure the victory.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn was a perfect 14-for-14 at the free-throw line, the first time for the Tigers to make all of its attempts at the line since Dec. 1, 2000, when they were 12-for-12 against Ball State.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Montgomery's 22 points led all scorers and marked her sixth 20+ point effort of the season. She also led the Tigers with a season-high eight rebounds. Katie Frerking added 16 points, and Jazmine Jones and Janiah McKay had eight apiece.

SCOUTING KENTUCKY
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Kentucky is 11-11 overall and 3-5 in SEC play. The Wildcats come into Thursday's game having won two straight, defeating Alabama 79-54 last Thursday and winning at Arkansas 76-65 on Monday night.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Wildcats average 68.1 points/game while holding opponents to 63.0. Kentucky is one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the SEC, hitting 35.7% of attempts (131-of-367).
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Maci Morris is Kentucky's leading scorer with 15.4 points/game, and Taylor Murray adds 11.5. Morris is fourth in the SEC in 3-point percentage at 44.4% and averages 2.1 made 3-pointers per game. In SEC play, Murray is tied with Auburn's Daisa Alexander for the league lead in steals with 2.9/game.

SCOUTING AUBURN
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn is 11-9 on the season, 2-6 SEC, and coming off a big home win over Alabama on Sunday, 69-60.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers are scoring 63.8 points per game while holding opponents to 57.0/game, second-best in the SEC. Auburn's scoring defense ranks 31st nationally.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Junior point guard Janiah McKay has scored in double-figures in 18 of the Tigers' 20 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 (4.5/game).
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Freshman Unique Thompson has been a breakout star, twice earning SEC Freshman of the Week honors while averaging 11.1 points and 9.5 rebounds. She has six 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).
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Senior forward Jazmine Jones is averaging 5.8 points/game. She had a season-high 9 rebounds vs. Texas A&M.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Sophomore Daisa Alexander has been another breakout star, averaging 14.3 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.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn has forced at least 20 turnovers in 17 of 20 games this season and has forced 25 or more nine 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; 25 vs. Alabama).

Looking Ahead

ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º For the third time in four years, Auburn will be in College Station, Texas, on Super Bowl Sunday as the Tigers face No. 14 Texas A&M at 3 p.m. Sunday. The game will air on WTGZ 93.9 FM and SEC Network.