AUBURN, AL--Auburn connected on 11 three-point field goals and forced 34 turnovers as the Tigers breezed to a 76-33 win over Winthrop Wednesday afternoon in the Auburn Arena.
 
The loss, Winthrop's second this week to an SEC team, drops the Eagles to 2-8 on while Auburn improves to 7-2 and avenges last year's 56-54 loss in the Winthrop Coliseum.
 
Auburn's Brandy Montgomery and Katie Frerking connected on five 3-pointers each and combined for 40 points. Montgomery led all scorers with 21 points while Frerking finished with 19.  Tra'Cee Tanner was also in double figures with 14 and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds for the Tigers. 
 
Winthrop did not place anyone in double figures as the Eagles had their lowest scoring output of the season.  Junior guard Aliyah Kilpatrick led the Eagles with nine points while the team's leading scorer on the season, Erica Williams, had a tough afternoon as she was held to just two points on 1 of 10 shooting to snap her 23-game double figure scoring streak, and committed a career-high 13 turnovers.
 
Using an aggressive zone defense, Auburn held Winthrop to 23.5 percent shooting (12 of 51) and outscored the Eagles 39-16 on points off turnovers.  Auburn also made it tough for Winthrop to score inside by blocking nine shots.  The Tigers finished the game shooting 45.5 percent from the floor (30-66) and were 11 for 27 from behind the 3-point arc.
 
"I'm just thankful that our murderer's row part of the schedule is done and that we can continue to get better going forward," said Winthrop head coach Kevin Cook.  "I hope this game does not affect our confidence.  We are still a very good ball club and I am not going to stop believing in this group.  I hope they keep believing in themselves and we are going to get back to work tomorrow."
 
Winthrop led just once in the game at 3-0 after Ronata Rogers, who got her first collegiate start, scored on a three-point play 26 seconds into the contest.  But Montgomery answered with a 3-pointer 13 second later before Tanner scored on back-to-back inside baskets followed by another trey from Janiah McKay to give Auburn a 10-3 lead.
 
Frerking closed out the first quarter with a 3-pointer to put Auburn up 21-9 and she ended the second quarter with three consecutive 3-pointers to give the Tigers a 44-17 halftime lead.
 
Auburn continued its outside bombing in the third quarter by connecting on three more triples out of its first five field goals and led 61-25 after three periods.  The Tigers extended the lead to 40 on a Frerking follow shot with 7:34 left in the game.
 
Winthrop will now prepare to face College of Charleston on Tuesday, Dec. 22, in another afternoon game that will tip off at 2 p.m.