Women's Basketball Opens Regular Season Friday
11/12/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 12, 2009
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The women's basketball team, under the direction of second-year head coach, Wendell Hudson, will begin its 2009-10 season Friday at the Holiday Inn Emerald Beach Tip-Off Tournament when it takes on Tennessee Tech. The Crimson Tide and Golden Eagles will open the four-team tournament at 5:00 p.m. (CST) and will be proceeded by the game featuring Air Force and, host institution, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi which is slated to tip off at 7:30 p.m. (CST). All action takes place at the American Bank Center.
"Starting on the road this season is going to be good for us," said head coach Wendell Hudson. "We decided we wanted to play a tougher schedule early on, and playing on the road certainly helps that. We want to learn as much about this team from the get-go and see how players react in different situations. The team is looking forward to getting started tomorrow."
Friday's meeting between Alabama and Tennessee Tech marks the eighth in the series with the Tide holding an overall advantage of 5-2. The last time the two teams met was on Nov. 30, 2007 in Cookeville, Tenn. where Alabama came out on top 53-47. This will be the first time the two teams have met at a neutral site.
The Golden Eagles, guided by first-year head coach Sytia Messer, have the tough task of replacing all five starters, including the majority of their statistical leaders, from a year ago. The 2008-09 squad compiled an overall record of 9-21 and a 7-11 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference. Sophomores Krystal Stirrup and Tacarra Hayes are Tennessee Tech's top returnees as Stirrup ranked third in rebounding and fifth in scoring while Hayes came in at No. 4 on the points per game ledger.
The Tide will either play Air Force or Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday. The consolation game is scheduled to tip at 5:00 p.m. (CST), while the championship matchup will begin at 7:30 p.m. (CST). Live stats will be available for both of Alabama's games and can be found by clicking here. In addition, a radio broadcast of the action can be found on the Crimson Tide Sports Network. For local channel information, click here.
