AuburnTigers.com
    Women's Basketball To Host #7/8 Tennessee In SEC Opener Tipoff set for 2 p.m. CT, Sunday at Auburn Arena
    Freshman Hasina Muhammad, a native of Memphis, leads Auburn in scoring with 10.6 points per game.


    Freshman Hasina Muhammad, a native of Memphis, leads Auburn in scoring with 10.6 points per game.

    Dec. 31, 2011

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    Auburn (8-5, 0-0 SEC) vs. #7/8 Tennessee (8-3, 0-0 SEC) | Sunday, 2 p.m. CT
    Auburn, Ala. | Auburn Arena (9,121)
    GameTracker | TV: CSS
    Auburn Notes | Tennessee Notes | SEC Notes

    AUBURN - After two weeks on the road, the Auburn women's basketball team (8-5) will return home for a New Year's Day matchup with No. 7/8 Tennessee in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. CT, Sunday and the game will air live on CSS for Auburn's first televised game of the season.

    The first 500 fans into Auburn Arena will receive "We Back Pat" rally towels. "We Back Pat" is an initiative to bring awareness and recognition to the Pat Summitt Foundation Fund. The fund will provide grants to non-profits that promote education and awareness of Alzheimer's, its onset and treatment, support services to patients, their families and caregivers; and research to treat, prevent, cure, ultimately eradicate this disease.

    "Pat has been a mentor and a good friend of mine for over 20 years and whatever we can do or I can do personally to support and bring attention to this cause is very special," said Auburn head coach Nell Fortner. "She is women's college basketball. I would credit her for putting women's college basketball on the map and continuing to move it forward. She is the matriarch, and there just aren't enough good words to say about her."

    Auburn has a quick turnaround after its Friday 64-55 loss to Florida International in the Sun & Fun Classic Championship Game. Tennessee had had a little break since downing Old Dominion 90-37 on Wednesday. Even with the small amount of time in between games, Fortner just sees it as a way for her team to get tougher.

    "It is a tough stretch and it is hard to believe that is how it all came out," said Fortner. "But you have to be tough when you play in the SEC and this just adds an opportunity to get tougher. We will get back in the gym and get our team ready to play a very good Tennessee team."

    Tennessee enters conference play holding an 8-3 record coming off a the Old Dominion win. But, the Lady Vols faced five AP Top 25 opponents in non-conference play, including facing three teams ranked in the top 10. Two of Tennessee's three losses have come to teams ranked in the top five in the country, falling to No. 1 Baylor (76-67) and No. 4 Stanford (97-80).

    Tennessee has four players averaging double figures in scoring. Senior Shekinna Stricklen leads the Lady Vols with 16.5 points per game and also adds 7.1 rebounds per game. Senior Glory Johnson adds 13.9 ppg and leads the team in rebounding with 8.5 rpg. Junior Taber Spani has tallied 11.9 ppg, including shooting 48 percent from beyond the arc in 50 attempts. Sophomore Meighan Simmons rounds out the group averaging 10.5 ppg.

    "Tennessee is very good and this senior class is outstanding," said Fortner. "They were freshmen when we won our SEC Championship, and now they're seniors and I'm sure they're hungry to win a national championship.

    "To win it for their coach, to win it for them being seniors to get themselves to a Final Four - they're talented enough to do that. We've got our hands full with trying to contain all those scorers that they have on the floor all the time and keep them off the boards."

    After starting the season 5-1, Auburn has struggled recently, dropping four of its last seven games and shooting less than 40 percent from the field in six of them. The Tigers ended the offensive drought against UNC-Charlotte, knocking down 55.8 percent of their shots from the field.

    Four of the Tigers' five losses this season have come away from Auburn Arena, first at No. 8 Duke, at Temple and vs. Marist. Auburn suffered its first home loss on Dec. 18, falling to Purdue. Auburn's eight wins have come at an average margin of 21.6 points per game.

    Through 13 games in 2011-12, freshman Hasina Muhammad is leading the team in scoring with 10.6 points per game and is the current SEC Freshman of the Week. Tyrese Tanner is also in double figures with 10.2 points per game. Two other Tigers are near double figures as Blanche Alverson averages 9.1 points per game, followed closely by Camille Glymph with 9.0.

    Two other Tigers are averaging more than 5.0 points per game, led by Chantel Hilliard with 6.6 points per game. Senior Parrisha Simmons leads the team in rebounding with 6.6 boards per game and is coming off a career-high 16 rebounds against Purdue.

    For fans that cannot make it to the game, GameTracker will be available 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. The game will also air live on CSS with Matt Stewart and former Auburn coach Joe Ciampi calling the action.

    Season and tickets are still on sale with individual packages starting at $50 for reserved chairback seats. Auburn students are allowed in for free and discounts are available for groups of 20 or more. Auburn's home schedule this season features games against Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss and in-state rival Alabama.

    For more information, please call the Athletic Department ticket office at 1-855-282-2010 or visit www.AUBTix.com.

     

     

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