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Jan. 30, 2010

Auburn vs. Georgia Game Notes

GAME 22

[NR/NR] Auburn (11-10, 2-6 SEC) vs. [9/9] Georgia (18-3, 5-3 SEC)

When: Sunday, January 31 • 5 p.m. CT
Where: Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum (10,500) • Auburn, Ala.
TV/Webcast: ESPNU; Dave Baker (play-by-play), Abby Waner (color)
Radio: WMXA 96.7; Andy Burcham (play-by-play), Arnika Edwards (color)
Audio Webcast: AuburnTigers.com
GameTracker: AuburnTigers.com
Series: Auburn trails, 14-23 (8-8 in Auburn)
Last Meeting: Feb. 22, 2009 - 65-59, AU in Auburn
Up Next: Auburn will remain at home for a 6 p.m., Thursday game against South Carolina - marking the team's first back-to-back home SEC games this season

AUBURN - The Auburn women's basketball team (11-10, 2-6 SEC) will play its first Sunday home game in nearly a month as the Tigers host ninth-ranked Georgia (18-3, 5-3 SEC) at 5 p.m., Jan. 31. The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU with Dave Baker and former Duke star Abby Waner calling the action.

The Tigers will play their fourth consecutive game against a ranked team Sunday as the Tigers face the Bulldogs. Auburn also enters the game on a four-game losing streak with its last win coming on Jan. 14 against in-state rival Alabama.

"It is nice to get to come home for a weekend, it has been hard to be on the road every Sunday," said Auburn head coach Nell Fortner. "We are looking forward to a good crowd and a great home-court advantage."

The Tigers are coming off an 85-56 loss at fifth-ranked Tennessee on Thursday. Auburn led early, but the Lady Vols went on to shoot 13-of-23 from 3-point range to take the win.

"Tennessee shot the ball so well, we caught them on a night when their 3s were really falling and made the score look worse than maybe the game actually was," said Fortner. "I thought we fought hard and played hard but just didn't have enough that night."

Fans that show up early will get a treat as Sunday is KeKe Carrier bobblehead day. The first 600 fans through the door will take home a replica of Auburn's lone senior.

"I'm sure it will be the hottest item on campus, I can't wait to get mine," said Fortner. "KeKe is so popular on campus, everyone loves her. She is our lone senior this year and that is a pretty fun way to honor her."

Leading the way for Auburn this season is junior Alli Smalley with 15.2 points per game, ranking sixth in the SEC. Right behind her is Carrier with 13.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game.

Since the start of SEC play, freshman Morgan Toles has stepped up her role, averaging 8.5 points and 4.1 assists per game. Redshirt junior Jordan Greenleaf is averaging 8.3 rebounds and 6.0 points in SEC play.

Auburn is 6-3 at home this season with two of the three losses coming to ranked teams. The Tigers' first loss came to eighth-ranked Texas A&M (79-59), followed by a 73-58 loss to Mississippi State. Most recently, Auburn lost at home, 61-60, to 20th-ranked Vanderbilt.

Auburn averages shooting 41.3 percent from the field and 31.9 percent from 3-point range. Auburn out-rebounds its opponents by 5.5 per game, 6.1 in SEC games. AU has cut its turnovers down to 17.3 per game and average blocking 5.2 shots per game.

Georgia started off the season hot, winning its first 16 games of the season, including its first three SEC games. The Bulldogs have struggled in the past couple weeks, earning wins in just two of the last five games. UGA enters its game with Auburn on a two-game losing streak after being swept by the state of Mississippi. Ole Miss defeated the Bulldogs, 66-65, while Mississippi State pulled out the 74-66 win on Thursday.

"Georgia is going to be a hungry team, they have lost their last two and we have lost our last four, so you have two teams battling to get back in the win column," said Fortner. "It is going to be a game of great effort y both teams."

Georgia has got it done with its defense, limiting opponents to just 53.4 points per game. The Bulldogs average 65.1 points per game as a team, led by senior point guard Ashley Houts with 12.4. Houts also averages 3.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.3 steals per game.

Right behind Houts is freshman Jasmine James with 11.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Junior Porsha Phillips is right behind her with 9.0 points and a team-best 8.0 rebounds per game.

"I think Ashley Houts is the best point guard in the SEC and I think she has been that for a long time," said Fortner. "She is an experienced senior, she is smart, I really think she is something special.

"Georgia also has some really nice post players in Angel Robinson, who had a couple big games against us last year, and Porsha Phillips. Jasmine James is a freshman this year for Georgia and she is have a very good season so far."

The Bulldog that had the most success against Auburn last season was senior Angel Robinson as she averaged 17.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in the two meetings. She is averaging 8.6 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game this season.

As a team, Georgia shoots 39.3 percent from the field, including a 28.2 percent mark from 3-point range. Five Bulldogs have hit more than 10 3-pointers this season. James leads the team with 32, followed by Meredith Mitchell with 21.

UGA forces 20.4 turnovers pre game, tallying 9.3 steals per game. The Bulldogs also average 5.7 blocked shots per game.

The doors at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum will open at 3:30 p.m., Sunday for the game against the Bulldogs. Tipoff is set for 5:05 p.m. on ESPNU (Charter channel 302, DirecTV channel 614 and Dish Network channel 148).

Fans that cannot make it to the game can follow along with GameTracker and an audio Webcast at AuburnTigers.com. Tiger fans can listen to the game live on WMXA 96.7 FM with play-by-play from Andy Burcham and color commentary from Arnika Edwards.

Auburn Women's Basketball Quick Hitters
• The Tigers are playing a televised game for the sixth time this season and are 1-5 in TV games
• Auburn is coming off an 85-56 loss at #5 Tennessee; Georgia is coming off a 74-66 loss at Mississippi State
• Auburn and Georgia split their two meetings last season, each winning on their home floor
• Seven of hte 10 players on Auburn's roster are from Georgia
• The Tigers won the last meeting against Georgia, 65-59, on Feb. 22, 2009
• The Tigers have won three of the last four meetings at home against Georgia
• Auburn trails the series with Georgia, 14-23, including a 8-8 mark when playing in Auburn
• Auburn is 40-48 all-time against teams from the state of Georgia
• Auburn has a 176-145 all-time record in the SEC, Nell Fortner has a 37-41 record in conference play
• Auburn is 6-2 all-time on Jan. 31; Nell Fortner has not coached on Jan. 31
• The Tigers are 179-96 all-time in the month of January, 16-24 under Fortner
• Nell Fortner is 2-5 against Georgia head coach Andy Landers
• The Tigers are 6-3 at home this season, 1-2 in SEC play
• Auburn is 89-150 against ranked teams, 10-18 when facing ranked Georgia teams, 4-3 when facing teams ranked 9th
• Auburn is 77-2 under Fortner when scoring 70 or more points
• Youth Movement: Seven of Auburn's 10 active players are either freshmen or sophomores
• In the win over Liberty, Auburn's front-court out-scored the back court for the first time since Feb. 10, 2008; the Tigers repeated the effort at South Alabama, vs. Valparaiso and at San Diego State
• Alli Smalley scored her 1,000th career point in the second half against Vanderbilt, becoming the 25th player to do so
• KeKe Carrier grabbed her 500th career rebound at LSU, Jordan Greenleaf grabbed her 500th rebound vs. Alabama
• For the first time this season, Auburn played with 10 players against Alabama
• Sophomore guard Morgan Jennings played for the first time this season against Alabama
• Sophomore forward Chantel Hilliard returned to the court vs. Alabama after missing three games with an injury
• Nicolle Thomas scored 27 points against Florida State, the highest point output for an Auburn freshman since 1987
• The Tigers tied the Auburn single-game blocks record against Alabama A&M with 17
• Freshman Morgan Toles and sophomores Chantel Hilliard and Parrisha Simmons earned their first career starts in the season-opener against Troy; freshman Nicolle Thomas earned her first career start against Alabama A&M
• Morgan Toles and Nicolle Thomas started against Alabama A&M, marking the first time for Auburn to have multiple freshmen starters since March 3, 2006 against Tennessee in the SEC Tournament (Boddie, Bonner, Carrier)
• KeKe Carrier, Auburn's lone senior, started against Alabama A&M - her first since Feb. 11, 2007
• The Tigers are beginning their final season in Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum before moving to the new Auburn Arena
• Auburn was picked eighth in the SEC Preseason Media and Coaches' polls, LSU (media) and Tennessee (coaches) were picked to win the league this season
• Alli Smalley was picked the the Coaches' Preseason All-SEC Second Team
• Nell Fortner is beginning her sixth season at Auburn, marking her longest tenure at any job
• The Tigers welcome four newcomers: Blanche Alverson, Morgan Toles, Nicolle Thomas, Pascale West
• Auburn begins the season with 6-7 KeKe Carrier and 6-8 Pascale West, two of the three tallest players in the SEC
• AU is without Reneisha Hobbs after suffering an ACL injury, leaving the Tigers with a roster of 10
• Auburn will be a first- and second-round host of the 2011 NCAA Tournament in the new Auburn Arena

RANKINGS
Auburn is not ranked. Georgia is ranked ninth in the AP poll and ranked ninth in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' poll.

NEXT UP FOR THE TIGERS
Auburn will remain at home for a 6 p.m., Thursday game against South Carolina.

QUICK HITS
Auburn is in its 39th season of women's basketball and sports an all-time record of 776-339... AU has made 18 NCAA Tournament appearances, two WNIT appearances and three Final Fours in the program's history... Head Coach Nell Fortner is in her sixth season at Auburn with a 129-78 career record and a 112-67 record on the Plains... The Tigers are coming off a 30-4 season in 2008-09 with their first SEC title in 20 years and its second NCAA Tournament appearance in as many seasons.

AUBURN-GEORGIA SERIES
This will be the 38th meeting between Auburn and Georgia with the Bulldogs holding a 23-14 series advantage. When playing at AU, the series is tied, 8-8. The Bulldogs have won 11 of the last 13 meetings with the lone Tiger wins coming in Auburn. AU has won three of the last four meetings when playing in Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum.

Head coach Nell Fortner owns a 2-5 record against the Bulldogs as Auburn's head coach.

LAST TIME AGAINST GEORGIA (Feb. 22, 2009)
The third-ranked Auburn women's basketball team clinched at least a share of the Southeastern Conference regular-season championship Feb. 22 with a 65-59 victory over Georgia.

The win marked the first time since the 1989 season for Auburn to earn the title. Auburn, who entered the day in a tie for first place with Vanderbilt, clinched at least a share of the title after the Commodores lost at Ole Miss, 71-69.

National Player of the Year candidate DeWanna Bonner scored a team-high 22 points. She also pulled down nine rebounds, leaving her with 999 career rebounds.

Trevesha Jackson and Alli Smalley scored 10 points apiece for Auburn while Whitney Boddie led all Tigers with 9 assists.

Opening the second half, Smalley connected on a 3-pointer fresh out of the gates, giving Auburn an early second-half lead. The Bulldogs retook the lead twice, but only to the tune of a one-point advantage.

Bonner connected from the key with 1:24 on the clock to give Auburn a 56-53 lead. The Tigers connected on their final 9-of-10 trips to the line to win the contest.

Forward Angel Robinson led the Bulldogs, recording her seventh consecutive double-double, posting 17 points and 14 rebounds. Porsha Phillips added 13 points off the bench while point guard Ashley Houts tallied five points and nine assists.

LAST TIME OUT FOR AUBURN
Playing in front of a crowd of 12,353 at Tennessee's Thompson-Boling Arena, Auburn fell 85-56 Jan. 28 to the fifth-ranked Lady Vols. Alli Smalley scored a game-high 21 points in the loss, her fourth 20-point game of the season. Blanche Alverson, KeKe Carrier and Morgan Toles followed Smalley with eight points each. Carrier also pulled down a team-high six rebounds while blocking six shots.

The Lady Vols shot 13-of-23 from 3-point range in the game for 56.5 percent. Junior guard Angie Bjorklund led the way, scoring 18 of her team-high 20 points from 3-point land, finishing the night at 6-of-12.

The Tigers jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead in the game following a Carrier layup and a 3-pointer from freshman Alverson. The Tigers did not trail through the first five minutes of the game, by Tennessee's Kelley Cain scored on a put-back with 14:41 left in the first half to give the Lady Vols a lead they would not give up.

Auburn kept the Tennessee lead in single digits until Alyssia Brewer got a putback and completed the three-point play to give the Lady Vols a 10-point lead. UT would go on to take an 18-point, 43-25 lead at halftime.

Tennessee kept that momentum rolling in the second half, scoring the first four points of the period. The Lady Vols would go on to lead by as many as 33 points in the second half. Auburn was able to cut it down to 29 for the final score of 85-56.

LAST TIME OUT FOR GEORGIA
Georgia trailed by as many as 16 points at Mississippi State on Thursday and was unable to complete the comeback as UGA lost 74-66 at Humphrey Coliseum. UGA cut the lead to as few as four points late in the game, but MSU went 6-of-6 at the free throw line in the final minute to preserve the win.

Meredith Mitchell led UGA with 16 points, followed by Angel Robinson with 12 points and three blocks. Porsha Phillips tallied a double-double for the Bulldogs with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Alexis Rack connected on 7-of-10 3-point attempts to lead Mississippi State with 34 points. Armelie Lumanu scored 15 points while Chanel Mokango finished with 14 and five blocked shots.

UGA was within one point late in the first half, but MSU finished the period on an 11-2 run to take a 35-25 lead into halftime. The MSU lead grew to 16 points with 4:42 left to play in the game, but a 16-4 Georgia run cut it to four with 54 seconds left in the game.

The teams traded free throws in the remainder of the game as Mississippi State held on for the victory.

AUBURN VS. THE SEC
Auburn is 176-145 all-time in Southeastern Conference Games. Head coach Nell Fortner holds a 37-40 record in the conference.

Nell Fortner VS. ANDY LANDERS
This will be the eighth meeting between Nell Fortner and Georgia's Andy Landers with Landers owning a 5-2 advantage.

Fortner is in her sixth season at Auburn and seventh overall as a collegiate head coach, holding a 129-78 career record. Landers is in his 35th season as a head coach and owns an 825-263 career record.

ON THIS DATE. . .
When playing on Jan. 31, Auburn has a 6-2 all-time record, Nell Fortner has not aoaches a game on Jan. 31. The Tigers last played on Jan. 31 in 2002, taking a 63-53 loss to Ole Miss. The last Auburn victory on Jan. 31 came in a 67-59 win against Mississippi State in 1998.

AGAINST THE PEACH STATE STATE
Auburn holds a 40-48 record against teams from the state of Georgia. Records against Georgia teams: Berry College (0-2), Fort Valley State (0-1), Georgia (14-23), Georgia Southern (4-0), Georgia State (7-7), Georgia Tech (3-0), Mercer (10-9), North Georgia (0-1), Shorter College (0-1), Valdosta State (0-1) and West Georgia (2-3).

JOIN THE CLUB
With her layup at the 18:21 mark in the second half against Vanderbilt, junior Alli Smalley joined an exclusive club as she became just the 25th Auburn player ever to score 1,000 career points. She finished the game with 19 points, giving her 1,007 on her career.

Currently with 1,037 career points, she is the third player recruited to Auburn by Nell Fortner to reach the plateau, joining DeWanna Bonner (2,162 points) and Sherell Hobbs (1,372 points).

AGAINST THE RANKED
Auburn holds an 89-150 all-time record against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. Head Coach Nell Fortner is 8-33 against ranked teams at Auburn.

The Tigers are 4-3 all-time against teams ranked ninth in the country, Fortner is 0-1 against teams ranked ninth.

The last game for the Tigers against a team ranked ninth in the country came on Jan. 24, 2008 in a 79-59 loss to LSU. The last win came on March 26, 1988 in a 103-74 win over Maryland.

Auburn is 1-4 against teams ranked in the AP poll this season after the win at #11 LSU (64-62, OT) and losses to #15 Texas A&M (79-59), #12 Florida State (82-67), #21 Vanderbilt (61-60) and #5 Tennessee (85-56).

MORE RANKED. . .
The Tigers are 10-18 all-time when facing a ranked Georgia squad. Auburn also holds a 38-87 all-time record when facing teams ranked in the AP top-10.

GEORGIA TIGERS
Last season, Auburn boasted the only all in-state starting lineup for a ranked team as all five starters hailed from the state of Alabama. This season, Auburn could start an all-Georgia lineup if it wanted.

Six of the 10 active players on Auburn's roster claim the state of Georgia as home. Jordan Greenleaf (Rex), Morgan Jennings (Atlanta), Parrisha Simmons (Macon), Nicolle Thomas (Moultrie) and Pascale West (LaGrange) all hail from the state of Georgia. Not included in that list is Andalusia, Ala., native Blanche Alverson, who led Buford (Ga.) High School to a Georgia state championship and was named the Class AA Player of the Year as a senior.

Five of the six Georgia natives have started at least one game in their career for Auburn.

ON THE TUBE
Sunday's game against Georgia is Auburn's sixth televised game of the seaon with the Tigers holding a 1-5 record in TV games. Being on ESPNU, it is Auburn's first and only game of the season on part of the ESPN family of networks.

GOING TO THE O-BOARDS
Auburn enters the game as the best offensive rebounding team in the SEC in SEC-only games, averaging 41.8 per game. Three of the top four individual offensive rebounders in the SEC are also Auburn players as Jordan Greenleaf ranks first (4.0), followed by KeKe Carrier (3.4) in third and Parrisha Simmons (3.3) in fourth. The Tigers have scored 108 second-chance points in SEC games, averaging 13.5 per game.

10 PLAYERS
For the first time this season, Auburn played with 10 players when it took on Alabama on Jan. 14. The Tigers welcomed back sophomores Chantel Hilliard and Morgan Jennings.

Hilliard suffered an injury at San Diego State and missed the first three SEC games. Jennings tore her ACL in July and made her first appearance of the season agains the Crimson Tide. Prior to the Alabama game, Auburn had been down to eight active players.

YOUTH MOVEMENT
Of the 10 active players on Auburn's roster, seven are freshman or sophomores. KeKe Carrier is the lone senior on the roster with Alli Smalley and Jordan Greenleaf filling out the active junior class.

The remainder of the roster is made up of three sophomores and four freshman. Auburn has started multiple freshmen in nine games this season with Morgan Toles, Nicolle Thomas and Blanche Alverson earning the starting nod at least once.

FILLING A VOID
Auburn lost four players from last season's SEC Championship team, a group of seniors that accounted for 5,091 career points, 2,547 rebounds, 1,410 assists and 685 steals.

Only two teams in the country, UC Riverside (eight players, 5,903 points) and Maryland (six players, 5,33 points) lost more points. UC Riverside (3,219 rebounds) and Wintrop (six players, 2,560 rebounds) lost more rebounds. And, no team in the country lost more assists or steals.

MOVING ON UP
Junior guard Alli Smalley (1,037 points) has been cruising up the career scoring rankings. She broke into the top 30 at the LSU game and three games later is ranked 24th all-time.

Entering Thursday's game, she needs 69 points to tie Samantha Williams (1992-96) for 23rd place. She is also 10 3-pointers away from tying Williams for third all-time in career 3-pointers.

A BIG WIN
Auburn's 64-62 overtime win at LSU on Jan. 10 marked the highest-ranked team to fall to the Tigers since Auburn defeated 10th-ranked Tennessee, 82-68, on Jan. 25, 2009. It was Auburn's first win over a ranked team this season in three tries.

REACHING 500
Senior KeKe Carrier's first rebound at LSU on Jan. 10 marked the 500th of her career, making her just the 22nd Auburn player ever to reach the 500-rebound plateau.

She currently has 535 career rebounds and ranks 22nd all-time, four behind Tara Williams (1995-97), who ranks 21st with 539.

Redshirt junior Jordan Greenleaf followed up in the very next game with her 500th rebound. She now has 524 on her career for 23rd all-time in career rebounding - right behind Carrier.

BACK IN THE LINEUP
KeKe Carrier, the lone senior on Auburn's roster this season, made her 24th career start on Nov. 19 against Alabama A&M. It marked the first time for Carrier to start a game at Auburn since Feb. 11, 2007 when she started at Vanderbilt.

OFFENSE WINS GAMES
Auburn is 77-2 when scoring 70 or more points in the Nell Fortner era. The only times Auburn has lost when scoring at least 70 points was on Jan. 20, 2005 vs. No. 7 Tennessee, 71-81 and Feb. 19, 2009 at No. 18 Vanderbilt, 73-70. When scoring less than 70 points, Auburn is 34-65 during the Fortner era.

IN JANUARY
Auburn is 179-96 all-time in the month of January, including a 16-24 mark under Nell Fortner (records begin in 1978-79 season, not all dates provided prior to or during that season).

MAKING IT HOME
Nell Fortner enters her sixth season as Auburn's head coach, marking her longest tenure at any position in her career. The longest Fortner had stayed at a job prior to Auburn came from 1990-95 while she was an assistant coach at Louisiana Tech under legendary head coach Leon Barmore.

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