Women's Basketball To Open Exhibition Slate
10/30/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ?? The University of Alabama women’s basketball team opens its 2007-08 season with an exhibition game against instate rival West Alabama on Thursday, Oct. 31 at 6 p.m. in Coleman Coliseum. The contest is the first of two exhibitions games scheduled for the Tide.
The Tide enters its third year under head coach Stephany Smith after a 10-20 campaign in her second season at the helm of the Tide program. Alabama will feature a young squad that showcases eight underclassmen on the active roster.
Coach Smith welcomes back an experienced sophomore class in addition to a highly touted crop of freshman. All the sophomores who return for their second season for the Tide saw significant time on the floor as freshmen. The Tide returns down low the tandem of sophomores Talisha Chandler and Courtney Strauthers. Chandler averaged 7.2 points per game and a team-high 6.6 boards per contest. Strauthers averaged 4.7 points and 2.4 boards while finding action in 29 games. Dedrea Magee started seven games toward the end of the season and each of her last five. Magee came on strong, logging career highs in points in two of her team’s last five games while scoring nearly triple her average from the first 25 games in those final five outings.
West Alabama enters Coleman Coliseum coming off a 19-9 overall record. The Tigers finished 12-4 in non-conference games in 2006-07. Ashton Washington was named to the 2007-2008 Gulf South Conference Pre-Season Women’s Basketball East Division Team. Washington was a First Team All-GSC performer last season after leading the GSC in rebounds with 9.4 per game and UWA in scoring with 12 points outing. UWA also returns its floor general in senior Irimar Hernandez. The senior led the squad with 127 assists and added 7.3 points per game. Jessica Foster also returns for the Tigers, last season Foster was second on the team, pouring in 10.5 points per game.
The exhibition matchup between the two teams marks the third time in as many years that the Tide has opened its preseason slate against West Alabama. The Tide won last year’s exhibition opener, 81-50, exactly a year ago.
Alabama is scheduled to finish the exhibition season on Sunday, Nov. 4 with a 3:30 p.m. matchup against Mississippi College in Coleman Coliseum. The regular season opens on Nov. 10 against Tulane in Tuscaloosa at 2 p.m.
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