Auburn women face Tennessee in SEC Tournament

Feb. 28, 2018

AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Postseason play begins for the Auburn women's basketball team Thursday night when the Tigers take on No. 12 Tennessee in the second round of the SEC Women's Basketball Tournament. Game time is 6 p.m. at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.

The Tigers (14-14, 5-11 SEC) secured the No. 10 seed in the tournament after defeating Ole Miss 60-55 Sunday in their regular-season finale. Auburn also got good news Tuesday when the conference office announced that two Tigers earned postseason honors - Unique Thompson named to the SEC All-Freshman Team, and Daisa Alexander earned a spot on the SEC All-Defensive Team.

Tennessee (23-6, 11-5) finished in a four-way tie for fourth place, but tiebreakers with LSU, Texas A&M and Missouri dropped the Lady Vols to the No. 7 seed. Auburn and Tennessee met in Knoxville on Jan. 4 and went back-and-forth for nearly the entire 40 minutes before the Lady Vols pulled away late for a 70-59 win. The game was tied with less than two minutes to go.

Auburn and Tennessee will be meeting in the SEC Tournament for the 14th time. Tennessee is 9-4 against Auburn at the tournament, but the Tigers won the last postseason meeting, a 78-58 win in 2009.

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 also watch via WatchESPN.com, SECNetwork.com or the ESPN app for mobile devices.

Auburn Quick Hitters

- This is the 54th meeting between Auburn and Tennessee in women's basketball
- Tennessee leads the all-time series 42-11, including an 8-4 edge at neutral sites
- Tennessee is 9-4 against Auburn in the SEC Tournament
- Auburn fell at then-No. 7 Tennessee 70-59in the teams' first meeting this season; it was a tie game with less than two minutes to play
- Auburn is 37-36 all-time in the SEC Tournament
- The Tigers have won at least one SEC Tournament game three of the last four years
- This is the first meeting with Tennessee in the SEC Tournament since 2009 when SEC regular-season champion Auburn defeated the Lady Vols 78-58 in North Little Rock
- Auburn is 3-5 in the SEC Tournament under coach Terri Williams-Flournoy
- Freshman Unique Thompson was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team; she is the SEC's leading freshman in rebounds with 8.7/game
- Thompson has tied the Auburn freshman record with 7 double-doubles this season: LA Tech (16/14), ULL (29/12), Southern (18/10), SE Louisiana (10/11), Arkansas (14/13), Alabama (14/11), Mississippi State (12/10)
- Sophomore Daisa Alexander, who leads the SEC in steals (2.6/game) was named to the SEC All-Defensive Team
- Alexander's 7 steals at LSU were the most by an Auburn player this season
- Alexander is second on the team with 14.1 points/game; she has scored in double-figures in 24 of 28 games
- Alexander enters the SEC Tournament having made 10 of her last 12 3-point attempts over the last three games; she is Auburn's leading 3-point shooter at 34.7% (41-of-118)
- Auburn's 11 home wins were the second-most regular-season home victories since moving into Auburn Arena
- Five seniors were honored after their final home game Sunday: Bria Johnson, Jazmine Jones, Jessica Jones, Tiffany Lewis and Sira Toure
- Auburn is the only team in the SEC that played six of the league's top seven teams on the road
- Auburn ranks in the top 5 nationally in steals per game (2nd - 13.2) and turnovers forced per game (5th - 22.9)
- Coach Terri Williams-Flournoy earned her 100th Auburn victory vs. LSU on Feb. 8
- Coach Flo is 102-90 in six seasons at Auburn and 245-194 in 14 seasons as a head coach
- The Tigers are 6-1 this season and 51-7 under Coach Flo when scoring at least 70 points
- Janiah McKay and Unique Thompson each topped 20 points vs. LSU; second time this season for McKay and Thompson to both have 20 in a game (Texas A&M, 1/8)
- McKay is Auburn's top scorer with 16.3 points/game; she also leads team and ranks fifth in SEC in assists (4.5) and is second in SEC in steals (2.4)
- McKay has scored 25+ points in six games this year and 11 times in her career
- 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
- Auburn set a new school record by hitting 16-of-16 free throws in the first meeting with Texas A&M (1/7)
- From the end of 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
- The Tigers tied a school record for fewest turnovers with 5 vs. Florida on Dec. 31 while forcing the Gators into 28
- Auburn has forced at least 20 turnovers in 23 of 28 games this season and 25+ turnovers in 10 games
- Auburn has won 26 of its last 29 games when forcing at least 25 turnovers (8-2 this season)

Last Time Out

ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Daisa Alexander led all scorers with 21 points, and Auburn women's basketball sent its five seniors out in style with a 60-55 victory over Ole Miss on Sunday at Auburn Arena.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º It was the fifth win in six years on Senior Day for Auburn, which picked up its 11th home victory of the season and secured a winning SEC record at home for the second time in three seasons.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Alexander topped the 20-point mark for the sixth time this season on 7-of-12 shooting, including a perfect 3-for-3 day from beyond the 3-point arc. She also had three steals in the game. Unique Thompson added 15 points and nine rebounds, and Janiah McKay scored 12 points and had a game-high six assists. Erica Sanders came off the bench to grab a game-high four steals, and Emari Jones added seven points off the bench.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers forced Ole Miss into 25 turnovers that turned into 22 Auburn points. It marks the 10th time this season for Auburn to force 25 or more opponent turnovers; the Tigers are 8-2 in those games. Auburn shot 40 percent (20-of-50) for the game and 46.2 percent (6-of-13) from 3-point range.

Noteworthy

AUBURN IN THE SEC TOURNAMENT
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn has a 37-36 all-time record in the SEC Tournament and has won it four times - 1981, 1987, 1990 and 1997.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º This is Coach Terri Williams-Flournoy's sixth appearance in the SEC Tournament as Auburn's coach. She is 3-5 in her previous five trips. Coach Flo was an assistant at Georgia in 2001 when the Lady Bulldogs won the tournament title.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn is the No. 10 seed for the fourth time. The Tigers are 2-3 in the tournament as a 9-seed.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Previous appearances as a 10-seed: 2013 at Duluth (Lost to LSU 65-62); 2010 at Duluth (defeated Florida 74-61; lost to Kentucky 65-54); 2006 at North Little Rock (defeated South Carolina 64-48; lost to Tennessee 77-45).
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º This is the sixth time the SEC Tournament has been played in Nashville. Auburn is 2-5 in the previous five tournaments, earning wins in 2002 and 2008.

A WIN OVER TENNESSEE WOULD...
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Secure a .500 regular season record and make Auburn eligible for postseason play.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Give Auburn an SEC Tournament win for the fourth time in five years.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Be Auburn's first win over a ranked opponent this season.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Avenge an earlier loss to the Lady Vols in January.

AUBURN vs. TENNESSEE
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Tennessee leads the series with Auburn 42-11, including an 8-4 edge at neutral sites and a 9-4 advantage in the SEC Tournament.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn snapped a 9-game skid to the Lady Vols last season in Auburn with a 79-61 win on Jan. 19. Tennessee won the earlier meeting this season in Knoxville, 70-59.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º This is the first SEC Tournament meeting between the schools since 2009; Auburn won that game 78-58.

LAST MEETING (Jan. 4, 2018, in Knoxville):
#7 TENNESSEE 70, AUBURN 59
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn and No. 7 Tennessee went back and forth for nearly 40 minutes at Thompson-Boling Arena, but the Lady Vols pulled away in the final two minutes for a 70-59 win.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers forced the Lady Vols into a season-high 28 turnovers and hit four more shots than Tennessee. However, UT was able to take advantage of their opportunities at the free-throw line, hitting 22-of-28 attempts while Auburn attempted just four free throws, hitting three.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º In a game that saw the lead change hands 16 times, Auburn led by as many as five points early and as many as four points midway through the fourth quarter. But with the score tied at 57-57 with two minutes to play, UT finished the game on a 13-2 run with six of those points coming at the free-throw line.

SCOUTING TENNESSEE
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Tennessee finished the regular season 23-6 overall, 11-5 in SEC play. In a four-way tie for fourth place, the Lady Vols found themselves on the wrong end of tiebreakers with LSU, Texas A&M and Missouri to earn the No. 7 tournament seed.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Lady Vols have the second-best scoring offense in the SEC at 78.5 points per game. Tennessee is the SEC's top rebounding team, averaging 44.4 per game and out-rebounding opponents by 9.0/game.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Jaime Nared leads UT with 17.2 points/game to rank seventh in the SEC. Mercedes Russell is UT's top rebounder and fourth in the SEC with 9.1 per game.

SCOUTING AUBURN
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Auburn is 14-14 on the season, 5-11 SEC, and earned the No. 10 seed for the SEC Tournament.
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º The Tigers are scoring 62.5 points per game while holding opponents to 59.6/game, second-best in the SEC. Auburn leads the SEC in steals (13.2/game) and turnovers forced (22.9/game).
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Junior point guard Janiah McKay is Auburn's leading scorer with 16.3 points/game. She has scored in double-figures in 25 of the Tigers' 28 games, including matching a career-high with 29 vs. Louisiana Tech. She is second in the SEC in steals (2.4/game) and fifth in assists (4.5/game).
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º Freshman Unique Thompson has been a breakout star, named to the SEC All-Freshman Team and twice earning SEC Freshman of the Week honors while averaging 11.8 points and a team-high 8.7 rebounds. She is fourth among SEC freshmen in scoring and first in rebounding. She has seven 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 Sophomore Daisa Alexander has been another breakout star, averaging 14.1 points. As the SEC's steals leader with 2.6/game, she was named to the SEC All-Defensive Team. She came off the bench for Auburn's first 17 games, then 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 22 games this season and has forced 25 or more 10 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; 25 vs. Ole Miss). The Tigers average 22.3 points per game off opponent turnovers.

Looking Ahead

ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ºÃƒÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬º With a win, Auburn would face second-seeded South Carolina in the tournament quarterfinals at 6 p.m. Friday.