Auburn hosts Jacksonville to Close Non-Conference Schedule

Katie Frerking (13) (Photo: Auburn Athletics/Anthony Hall)

Auburn Women’s Basketball returns to Auburn Arena Wednesday after a five-day break for Christmas, to face Jacksonville at 6 P.M. This game will be the final non-conference game for Auburn, and the Tigers are looking to finish strong before traveling to Gainesville to face Florida on Sunday. In their last game, Auburn found themselves down by 14 at one point in the third quarter in the championship game of the Tulane Classic against the tournament’s host. Auburn cut the lead down to two thanks to a few clutch shots and forcing Tulane to turn the ball over 16 times, but ultimately fell to the Green Wave, 61-58. The Tiger’s second-half surge was led by senior Katie Frerking, who scored all 21 of her points in the second half. Janiah McKay and Brandy Montgomery also scored in the double-digits, scoring 13 and 11 respectively. The projected starting lineup remains the same for Wednesday’s game against Jacksonville, with Montgomery and McKay lining up at guard, and Frerking joining the Jones twins at the forward position. Frerking continues to be the player to watch, as she averages 16.5 points per game to go along with 7.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists, and leads nearly every statistical category for Auburn. Montgomery and McKay also average double-digit scoring a game. Off the bench, Junior Tiffany Lewis and Freshman Tyra Johnson contribute 4.9 and 3.1 points per contest, while Erica Sanders grabs 2.7 boards. As for Auburn’s opponent, Jacksonville enters with a strong 9-3 record, with their last result being an 87-57 loss to North Carolina on December 20. Their other two losses have come by the hands of in-state foes Florida State and USF by an average margin of 27.5 points, with the loss to Florida State being by 43 points, 90-47. Much like Auburn, Jacksonville has three players who average at least 10 points a game, with two more players hanging in the shadows. The Dolphins are led by Sherranda Reddick’s 20.1 points per, with Christin Mercer and Brandi Buie averaging 11. Jacksonville scores 71 points a game, and are shooting 43.1% from the field. Their strong point is rebounds, as they average 10 more than Auburn (44 to 34). Auburn could really take advantage of Jacksonville by forcing turnovers. The Dolphins average 17 turnovers a contest, with Auburn recording 13 steals. Auburn faces Jacksonville Wednesday at Auburn Arena for the final non-conference game, as well as the final home contest of 2016. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 P.M.