Alabama
University of Mississippi
Alabama Women’s Basketball Hits the Road for Matchup at Ole Miss
1/21/2017 1:39:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Crimson Tide and Rebels meet for the second time this season on Sunday
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama women's basketball (14-5, 2-4 SEC) hits the road for the first time in two weeks to face the Ole Miss Rebels (13-6, 2-4 SEC) at The Pavilion at Ole Miss on Sunday. Game time is set for 2 p.m. CT.
THE BROADCAST
Sunday's game will be streamed on SEC Network + via WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app. The game can also be heard on the Crimson Tide Sports Network with Roger Hoover and Tyler Williams calling the action.
OPENING TIP
This is Alabama's first road game since Jan. 8, at Missouri. The Crimson Tide is 1-1 in Southeastern Conference road games this season with a loss at South Carolina and a win against the Tigers.
Junior Meoshonti Knight leads three in double figures with 12.5 points per game. She is followed by sophomore Shaquera Wade (11.5 ppg) and junior Hannah Cook (11.5 ppg). Wade averages a team-best 6.4 boards per game, while freshman Jordan Lewis has dished out a team-high 4.2 assists per contest.
Freshman Ashley Knight has 48 blocks on the year, which ranks No. 1 in the Southeastern Conference and 13th in the nation. She currently stands tied at No. 6 with Leslie Payne (1980-81) on Alabama's single-season top 10 list. Yolanda Watkins holds the Crimson Tide record at 68 blocks, which she achieved during the 1993-94 season.
Junior Ashley Williams is 67 points away from reaching 1,000 for her career and six rebounds away from 500 career boards.
BOLTON AMONG ALABAMA'S TOP 10 IN CAREER BLOCKS
With her 16 blocks thus far this season, junior NeNe Bolton moved into Alabama's top 10 in career blocks. Heading into Sunday's game she has 82 total, which is tied for seventh with Tausha Mills (1996-99). She is now nine blocks away from the No. 6 spot currently held by Nikki Hegstetter (2012-16).
GETTING TO THE LINE
Alabama finished the 2015-16 season ranked 73rd in the nation in free throw attempts (615) and 77th in free throws made (430) while averaging 69.9 percent made per game. The Crimson Tide is making another strong showing this season getting to the line a total of 473 times, 202 more times than its opponents (271). Alabama ranks first in the SEC and second nationally, six behind Ohio State, in free throw attempts.
ALABAMA LEADS IN POINTS IN THE PAINT
Through 19 games, Alabama has outscored its opponents 660-468 in points in the paint. That averages out to 10.1 more points in the paint (34.7-24.6) for the Crimson Tide per game than the opposition.
MEO KNIGHT POURS IN 29 TO LEAD ALABAMA OVER OLE MISS
Junior Meoshonti Knight scored a career-high 29 points in the win over Ole Miss on Thursday, Jan. 5. Her 29 points were the most scored by an Alabama player since Ashley Williams scored the same amount against Alabama A&M on Nov. 26, 2014.
SHOT-BLOCKING SENSATION
Freshman Ashley Knight has been stellar thus far defensively in the paint. She already has 48 blocks on the season, for an average of 2.5 rejections per game. Her 2.6 block average ranks the Austin, Texas native first in the Southeastern Conference and 19th nationally, while her 48 overall blocks is 13th in the country. Knight is also sixth on the Alabama single season top 10 list and is 30 away from the Tide's career top 10 list.
WATCHING WADE
Shaquera Wade's production all over the court has nearly doubled in every category from a season ago. The sophomore is averaging 11.5 points, a team-high 6.4 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 1.6 assists. As a freshman, she finished with averages of 6.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.0 assists. Wade also has three double-doubles this season, the most of anyone on the team.
LEADING LEWIS
Freshman Jordan Lewis has started every game at the point guard position for Alabama and has shown poise and confidence running the offense beyond her years. She is currently averaging a team-best 4.2 assists per game, ranking her fifth in the Southeastern Conference behind three seniors and a junior. Lewis has also scored double-digit points 10 times, led the team in steals five times and rebounding three times.
TIDE GETS BOOST FROM BENCH
Alabama has one of the most productive benches its had in the last several years, and that has been evident in both minutes and production on the stat sheet. Through 19 games, the Tide's reserves have accounted for 398 points (20.9 ppg), 236 rebounds (12.4 rpg), 62 assists (3.3 apg), 64 blocks (3.4 bpg) and 36 steals (1.9 spg).
ABOUT OLE MISS
Ole Miss enters Sunday's game at 13-6 overall and 2-4 in Southeastern Conference play after having lost four of its last five games. The lone victory during that stretch came against Tennessee in Oxford, 67-62. The Rebels' other league win came in the opener against Arkansas, 73-64.
Ole Miss has won all of its home games this season, carrying a 12-0 record at The Pavilion at Ole Miss in 2016-17.
The Rebels have three that average double-figure points, led by junior Shandricka Sessom at 12.6 points per game She is followed by sophomore Madinah Muhammad (12.3 ppg) and redshirt junior Chrishae Rowe (10.3 ppg). Sessom also leads the team in rebounds with 5.9 per contest, while senior Erika Sisk dishes out a team-best 4.7 assists per game.
Ole Miss is under the direction of fourth-year head coach Matt Insell. In his second season, Insell led the Rebels to the postseason, advancing to the third round of the Women's National Invitation Tournament and finishing with a 19-14 overall mark. He heads into Sunday's game with a 54-60 record.
