Women's Basketball Game Notes: at Samford
11/21/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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UA OPENS SEASON AT SAMFORD
After a pair of exhibition games last week, the Crimson Tide women's basketball team turns its attention to the start of its 29th regular season campaign. Alabama travels up I-20/59 for tonight's season opener at Samford. The Tide has played the Bulldogs in each of their first five seasons at the NCAA Division I level.
TIDE HIGH IN SEASON OPENERS
Alabama is now 22-6 all-time in season openers. With its 96-44 win over Samford in 2001-02, Coach Rick Moody has guided the Tide to a 11-2 mark in season starters including his current five game win streak. Alabama's last opening night defeat was a 74-65 loss at Stanford in the season debut of the 1996-97 campaign.
ALABAMA'S MAGIC NUMBER: 70
Since the start of the 1997-98 seasons, when Alabama has scored 70 or more points they own a 65-16 mark. If the Tide can keep their opponents under that total, Bama is 76-14 over that span.
BAMA'S HOME GROWN ROSTER
The Alabama roster this season features 8 players from the State of Alabama. This year's crop of four Tide freshmen included a trio of in-state products including the reigning "Miss Basketball" - Kate Mastin (the 8th Alabama "Miss Basketball" to continue her career wearing the Crimson and White).
CRIMSON TIDE HAS OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION IN FINAL EXHIBITION CONTEST
After dropping a 78-72 exhibition decision to the Premier Players on Nov. 12, the Tide bounced back with an impressive 102-50 trouncing of Berry College in the team's final exhibition contest last Sunday. All 10 UA players dressed for the game scratched the scoring column including 5 players in double figures. Manisha Redus led the team with 18 points followed by Beth Vice with 17 including a 5-of-8 performance from beyond the 3-point arc. As a team, Alabama connected at a blistering 56.9 percent pace from the field, also making 8 of 12 trey attempts.
BAMA-SAMFORD SERIES NOTEBOOK
*Alabama and Samford have played each other in each of the past five seasons on the hardwood with this year marking the third straight year they've met in the season opener.
*Bama owns a perfect 5-0 record against the Bulldogs. The Tide has outscored Samford 437 to 236 in their previous meetings. UA averages 87.4 ppg while SU has scored just 47.2 ppg.
*The two squads have rotated hosting duties for the yearly matchup with the Tide owning a 3-0 mark in Coleman Coliseum and a 2-0 record at Seibert Hall.
All-Time Scores in the Series
1998 UA, 104-43 Tuscaloosa
1999 UA, 96-52 Birmingham
2000 UA, 88-51 Tuscaloosa
2001 UA, 53-46 Birmingham
2002 UA, 96-44 Tuscaloosa
STATE CHAMPIONS
Alabama owns a 131-46 (74.0%) all-time record in 177 games versus other in-state schools. The Tide has played 17 schools from the state's borders and owns a winning record against all of them except one (Talladega — 4-6). UA holds a 29-25 advantage over archrival Auburn thanks to its current 5-game win streak. Against non-SEC in-state opponents, Bama has won 55 of its last 57
Tide All-Time Versus Alabama Schools:
Auburn (28-25) Alabama A&M (1-0)
UAB (13-6) UAH (6-0)
Alabama State (11-2) AU-Mont. (2-0)
B'ham-Southern (1-0) Jacksonville St. (4-0)
Livingston (4-0) Montevallo (5-0)
North Alabama (4-0) Samford (5-0)
South Alabama (21-2) Stillman (3-0)
Talladega (4-6) Troy State (15-3)
Tuskegee (3-2)
UA PICKED TO FINISH 9th IN SEC
In a preseason poll of the media in attendance at SEC Basketball Media Day, the Crimson Tide was tabbed to finish ninth this season in the league. Bama has drawn that preseason spot the past three seasons and finished higher than expected each of those years.
UA STAFF FULL OF MOODY PUPILS
The Crimson Tide staff is almost entirely made up of people who have played for Coach Rick Moody. Assistants Brittney Ezell and C.C. Moorer were both standout players for Moody at Alabama. Moody mentored Moorer while he was a UA assistant coach and Ezell was his starting point guard for four years. Graduate assistant Dan Cranford played for Moody when he guided the Guntersville High School boys program. Only Kelly Brooks did not play for Moody, but Brooks' sister Bridgette was a teammate of Moorer's at Alabama.
ALABAMA'S "LONG RANGERS"
One of the trademarks of last season was the Crimson Tide's ability to shoot the 3-point shot. Alabama hit 191 treys and connected at a school-record pace of 40.1%. Senior Beth Vice ranked second in the SE C and among the nation's leader from beyond the arc shooting 43.4% and making over two per game. Monique Bivins led the team and set a new single season school record by hitting at a 48.2% pace, however Bivins didn't make enough to qualify for national recognition. Katie Sipe also shot over 40 percent (40.2) from the three-point line. Six returning Bama players have made a three-pointer in their careers.
SWEET HOME ALABAMA
Alabama owns a 231-78 (74.8%) in 309 all-time games at Coleman Coliseum, and in the 90s the Tide was a phenomenal 104-17 (86.0%). In 28 seasons, Bama has suffered just one losing record at home... a 5-7 mark in the 1982-83 season.
Non-SEC Home Winning Streak
Coleman Coliseum has always been a difficult place to play for visiting teams, but it has been years since a non-SEC team has left the "old building" with a win against the Tide. Alabama has won 48 straight non-SEC home contests. Bama's last home loss to a team outside the SEC was 79-68 to Clemson on Dec. 19, 1992.
RECORD OF SUCCESS
*UA's current overall record is 523-305 (63.2%) in 828 games.
*Alabama posted a 479-260 (64.8%) overall record in the 1900s.
*The Tide is 44-35 in its 79 games in the 2000s
*During the decade of the 90's, the Crimson Tide really made its mark on the national scene posting a 219-92 (70.4%)... Bama made eight NCAA Tournament appearances reaching the "Sweet 16" five times and earned one trip to the Final Four (1994). Alabama's 219 wins ranked 21st nationally for most wins in the decade and was the third highest for teams in the SEC.... The Tide's success was not limited to just overall play. Alabama tallied a 68-45 mark in the Southeastern Conference, the league's third best total.
TIDE SIGNS THREE EARLY
Here's a list of the Crimson Tide's early signees for the 2003-04 season...
Class of 2003
Tamisha Hamilton (6-5, FR, C, Corpus Christi, TX)
Navonda Moore (5-10, FR, G/F, Jackson, MS)
Krista Watson (6-4, FR, F/C, Gainesville, GA)
* Hamilton is a two-sports All-State performer. She is the reigning Texas High School Shot Put champion
*Moore is an All-State standout at Mississippi Prep state champion Murrah High School, the same school that produced current Bama men's star Mo Williams.
*Watson was a member of the Georgia 2A champion Greater Atlanta Christian team last season before transferring to Gainesville High for her senior year. Watson has spent the past two summers being personally trained by former UVA and NBA standout Ralph Sampson.
