AUBURN – The Auburn women's basketball team (4-1) will conclude its three-game homestand Wednesday as it hosts in-state rival Troy (0-5). Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT, at Auburn Arena.
The Tigers are off to their best start since the 2008-09 season and have flipped their record from this time last season. Now standing at 4-1 on the season, the Tigers were 1-4 and on a four-game losing streak through five games a year ago.
Playing four of the first six games at home this season, Auburn head coach Nell Fortner said she has tried to use this time to build consistency and chemistry.
"I think we were trying to get a little more consistency with our play on both ends of the floor and get a little more comfortable with each other as far as our team chemistry goes to be able to do that in the confines of your home court," said Fortner. "It helps you do that and just to continue to build our chemistry and keep becoming a better team. We have a tough stretch ahead of us, and we have to be ready for that."
The Tigers are coming off a 75-34 win over South Carolina-Upstate on Sunday, Auburn's third win by 20 or more points this season. Troy, however, is still looking for its first win of the year after an 0-2 outing last weekend at the Dead River Company Classic hosted by the University of Maine.
"Troy always comes in here and plays us tough," said Fortner. "They're well coached, and they run a good little motion offense that really puts pressure on your defense, so we're expecting nothing less than what we've seen of them every time they've come here."
Troy returns four starters and 10 letterwinners from last season's team that went 5-25 and tied for 11th in the Sun Belt with a 2-14 record.
DeAngela Sword leads Troy with 13.2 points per game this season, followed by Tenia Manuel with 11.4 points and a team-high 9.2 rebounds per game. Seven different Trojans have seen time as a starter this season with Sword, Manuel and Ieva Nagy being the only three to start all five games.
The Trojans are coming off a tough 59-49 loss to Evansville. Manuel led the team with 18 points and eight rebounds.
Auburn has used its depth to propel its quick start to the 2011-12 season, using eight different starters in three different starting lineups. Nine of the 11 active players on Auburn's roster are averaging more than 10 minutes a game and three different Tigers have led the team in scoring this season.
"We knew from the get-go that we had a lot more depth than we've had in quite a while here at Auburn with this year's team," said Fortner. "It's definitely showing itself in that we do have multiple double point scorers, and we can start different lineups, and it just gives us a lot more flexibility with things that we do. The kids are competing hard and working hard for their time on the floor, and that makes it really good as a coach."
The Tigers' lone loss this season has come at the hands of eighth-ranked Duke, but the four wins have come at an average of 27.5 points per game.
Through five games in 2011-12, sophomore Tyrese Tanner leads the team in scoring with 11.4 points per game and is joined in double figures by junior Blanche Alverson with 10.6. Five other Tigers are averaging more than 6.0 points per game, led by freshman Hasina Muhammad with 9.8 and sophomore Camille Glymph with 8.8. Senior Morgan Jennings leads the team and is ranked 32nd in the nation with 5.4 assists per game while sophomore Jassany Williams is 15th in the country with 3.2 blocks per game.
For fans that cannot make it to the game, GameTracker and a video Webcast 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.
Season and tickets are still on sale with individual packages starting at $50 for reserved chairback seats. Single-game tickets will go on sale Sept. 19. 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 Purdue, 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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