Tide to Host Tennessee Chattanooga Wednesday Night
11/29/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
TUSCALOOSA ?? After earning its first win away from Coleman Coliseum this season, the University of Alabama women’s basketball team looks to continue its three-game win streak back at home when it welcomes Tennessee Chattanooga on Wednesday, Nov. 29. Game time is set for 7 p.m. and will be carried on the radio by the Crimson Tide Sports Network and will be televised by WVUA.
Chattanooga comes into the game with a 3-2 mark after a loss to Middle Tennessee State on Nov. 24. The Lady Mocs, a perennial contender for the Southern Conference crown, went 27-4 last year and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. They return two starters from that unit, including junior Alex Anderson, who leads the team in scoring (17.6 ppg) and rebounding (9.2 rpg).
“UTC is an established, nationally-recognized program who goes to the NCAA Tournament nearly every year and upset Rutgers a few years ago in the NCAA Tournament,” said Alabama head coach Stephany Smith. “They are always prepared and believe they can win every game that they can play. This game will be no different for them.”
Alabama enters the contest after splitting a pair of games at the Hilton-Concord Invitational in Moraga, Calif., over the Thanksgiving holiday. The Tide fell to Missouri in a hard-fought loss in the opening game but rebounded to beat Cal State Northridge in the consolation game.
Kate Mastin, the Tide’s leading scorer, had a phenomenal weekend for Alabama. Mastin tied the school record for three-pointers in a game by hitting eight against Northridge and moved up to fourth on the program’s all-time charts in three-point shooting percentage by draining 61.1 percent of her trey attempts over the weekend. She set a career best with 28 points in the win over Cal State Northridge and ranks fourth in the Southeastern Conference with a 16.8 points per game average.
True freshman Nikki Davis continues to provide leadership for the Tide at the point guard position. Davis is averaging 8.7 points to go with 5.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. She was just one of nine true freshmen in the nation to have started her team’s season opener as a point guard. Davis is fifth in the league in assists and in the top 20 on the boards.
The matchup with the Lady Mocs marks the first of a three-game home stretch for the Tide. Alabama plays host to Savannah State on Saturday, Dec. 2 and welcomes McNeese State on Monday, Dec. 4 prior to its next road game at Tulane.
