Women's Basketball Opens Exhibition Slate with North Alabama
11/3/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 3, 2009
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The 2009-10 women's basketball season tips off Wednesday under the tutelage of second-year head coach Wendell Hudson when it hosts North Alabama in the Crimson Tide's first of two exhibition matchups. The game is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. (CST) in Coleman Coliseum.
"We are all excited to start this new season," said Hudson. "The biggest thing we'll be looking for in this game is consistent effort. We've got some great depth now, so we're eager to see how that will all play out. We're going to get as many people in the game as we can to really see what we have to work with."
Wednesday's contest marks the seventh overall meeting between the Tide and Lions and first since the 1989 season. Alabama owns a 5-1 record in the series with its only loss coming on Feb. 3, 1975 by a score of 70-57.
The Tide returns 10 letterwinners from last year's squad that went 13-17, including all five of its starters. Alabama's 13 wins during the 2008-09 season were five more than in the previous year, while its six-game winning streak was its longest run without a loss since the 2002 season. In addition to its returnees, the Tide welcomed four newcomers in the offseason; all who are expected to make contributions to the lineup.
North Alabama brings back eight letterwinners and four starters from its 2008-09 team, however, the Lions did lose their top scorer and rebounder in Amber Rutherford. The 5-11 forward averaged 16.9 points per game and 6.8 boards per contest last season and broke the NCAA career mark among all divisions in free throw percentage finishing her four years at 92.28 percent. North Alabama is under the direction of fourth-year head coach Terry Fowler, who owns an overall record in Florence of 42-42.
Admission for the women's basketball exhibitions is free, but the ticket office will begin charging $5 at halftime due to the doubleheader with men's basketball. Season tickets for regular-season games are currently on sale for $40 for the general public and $25 for University of Alabama faculty and staff. Single-game tickets are also on sale at the cost of $5 for adults and $3 for youth 18 and under. Tickets can be purchased online by clicking here or by calling the Alabama Ticket Office at 1-877-TIDETIX (843-3849).
