Women's Basketball Game Notes: U.S. Cellular Invitational
12/5/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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TIDE SET TO PLAY AT U.S. CELLULAR INVITATIONAL
The University of Alabama women's basketball team heads to Greenville (NC) to participate in the U.S. Cellular Invitational tournament hosted by East Carolina. The Tide opens up play at the event on Saturday afternoon against Liberty at 1 p.m. (ET). The other opening round game features host ECU versus Bethune-Cookman. The Tide is 5-0 this year and looking for their second tournament title of the year after earning a share of the crown at last weekend's UTSA Classic.
VICE & JOHNS EARN TOURNEY HONORS
At last weekend's Hampton Inn Six Flags/UTSA Classic a pair of Crimson Tide players garnered all-tournament accolades after helping guide Bama to a perfect 2-0 record. Seniors Beth Vice and Jamilah Johns were named to the all-tournament squad with Vice capturing MVP honors following her UA record-tying three-point shooting performance (making 8 in a single game).
ALABAMA'S TOURNEY HISTORY
Alabama owns a 113-38 (.748) all-time record in regular season tournaments (72 events). Following a pair of tournament titles last seaon, the Tide upped its championship total to 35 all-time tourney crowns. Rick Moody has enjoyed a great deal of success at in-season tournaments posting a 78-10 (.886) record in 45 events. Bama has also made a habit of capturing tournament hardware, having won 27 titles under Moody's tutelage.
BAMA-LIBERTY SERIES NOTEBOOK
*Today's game marks the first ever meeting in women's basketball between Alabama and Liberty.
*While the team's have never met before, all is not unfamiliar between the programs. Current UA assistant coach Brittney Ezell (a former Tide player) and Liberty assistant coach Karyn Karlin (a former Arkansas standout) played against each other several times during their careers.
*The Flames roster features six players over 6-1 including 6-8 Katie Feenstra.
Extra, Extra...
* Minute Log: Manisha Redus recorded her 1,000th career minute against Providence.
* Career Highs: Senior Jamilah Johns bettered her career high with 27 points vs Providence — Against Samford, Johns established a personal best with 11 rebounds... Junior Oreal Taylor posted a career best with her 11 point performance against Providence... Senior Shun Hunter matched a personal high with 15 points in UA's win over UTSA.
* Magic Number: Since the start of the 1997-98, when Alabama scores 70 or more points they own a 67-16 mark. If the Tide can keep their opponents under that total, Bama is 80-15 over that span.
* Get the Point: In her first season as Bama's starting point guard, junior Manisha Redus is averaging almost 5 assists per contest... Amazingly in 166 minutes of action (33.2 mpg) she has committed just 15 turnovers for an average of just one every 11 minutes of play.
* Glass Cleaner: Freshman Dee Merriweather has begun to assert herself as a real rebounder. In the Tide's last 3 games, she is averaging 8.7 rpg in just 10.7 minutes of action and against Stephen F. Austin the rookie hauled down a team leading 10 boards in just 9 minutes on the floor.
TREYS AWAY FOR TIDE
The Tide has made atleast one three-pointer in 70 straight games since going 0-for-12 against Georgia on Feb. 24, 2000. This year's squad features 8 different players who've hit a trey in their careers.
Crimson Tide 3-Point Club
Player Career 3s in '02-03
Beth Vice 217 19
Katie Sipe 49 2
Monique Bivins 36 9
Manisha Redus 30 1
Shun Hunter 12 0
Capper Reed 4 0
Natasha Gamble 2 2
Oreal Taylor 2 2
SWEET HOME ALABAMA
Alabama owns a 233-78 (74.9%) in 311 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 50 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.
RETURN OF CRIMSON DOUBLEHEADER
It's not uncommon to play a doubleheader in baseball, but on Tuesday, Dec. 3 the Alabama women's and men's basketball teams played their first doubleheader since Jan. 31, 1996. This season's version of a twinbill featured the Tide women hosting Providence followed by the Bama men and UNC-Greensboro. Both Alabama teams won handily with the women posting a 72-56 victory and the men earning an 89-61 decision.
STATE CHAMPIONS
Alabama owns a 133-46 (74.3%) all-time record in 179 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 56 of its last 58.
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 (2-0) Jacksonville St. (4-0)
Livingston (4-0) Montevallo (5-0)
North Alabama (4-0) Samford (6-0)
South Alabama (21-2) Stillman (3-0)
Talladega (4-6) Troy State (15-3)
Tuskegee (3-2)
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.
T'TOWN VICE
*Alabama senior Beth Vice, one of the most prolific three-point shooters in UA history, etched her name in the Bama record books again on Nov. 30 when the Mt. Sterling, Ky., native connected on 8 of 9 three-pointers versus Stephen F. Austin. Vice became the 4th player in Crimson Tide history to record 8 treys in a game.
*Earlier this season Vice sparked a second half surge against Birmingham-Southern with an 11-point run of her own. Vice accumulated the 11 points in just a span of 1:40 and her spurt included a lay-up off a steal followed by a trio of treys.
RECORD OF SUCCESS
*UA's current overall record is 528-305 (63.5%) in 832 games.
*Alabama posted a 479-260 (64.8%) overall record in the 1900s.
*The Tide is 49-35 in its 84 games in this century (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.
TIDE'S HOME GROWN TALENT
The Alabama roster this season features 8-of-13 players from the State of Alabama. This year's crop of four Tide freshmen includes 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).
ALABAMA 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 DUO TO BE REDSHIRTED
With an abundance of talented and experienced players on the perimeter, Coach Rick Moody plans to redshirt freshmen Kate Mastin and Leah Drury for this season. Both players will travel with and practice with the team this year.
BAMA STRONG IN HOME OPENERS
In their nearly 30 years of existence, the Crimson Tide has proven to be a tough foe in their home debuts posting a 24-5 mark all-time including this season's 75-58 win over Birmingham-Southern. Coach Rick Moody has played a major role leading the Tide to a 12-2 record under his watch. Bama's last opening night loss was an 87-70 decision to Vanderbilt in the 1992-93 campaign.
TIDE HIGH IN SEASON OPENERS
Alabama is now 23-6 all-time in season openers. With its 68-46 win over Samford in 2002-03, Coach Rick Moody has guided the Tide to a 12-2 mark in season starters including his current six game win streak. Alabama's last opening night defeat was a 74-65 loss at Stanford in the season debut of 1996-97.
BAMA FANS GETTING FREE HOOPS
The Crimson Tide's game with Arkansas on Sunday, Feb. 2 has been designated as the "Fan Appreciation" Game for the 2002-03 season. There will be no admission charged.
HOOP STREAKS
*Senior Beth Vice has hit a trey in 20 straight games. Vice has also started 36 consecutive contests.
*Sophomore Katie Sipe has played in 35 (of a possible 36) games in her Bama career and started every one of them. Sipe missed just one game as a freshman due to mono.
*Sophomore Monique Bivins has never missed a game in her career at Alabama (36 games), but is still looking for her first career start
*The Crimson Tide has held all five opponents this season under 60 points.
*Bama entered the 2002-03 season having finished the last 13 seasons with a winning record... The Tide has also qualifed for postseason play the past 11 years.
*The Tide has defeated at least one nationally-ranked team in each of the past 11 seasons.
*UA has captured a regular season tournament crown in each of the last four seasons and in 12 of the past 13 years.
