Alabama
Florida A&M
Alabama Women’s Basketball Hosts Florida A&M in Final Non-Conference Regular Season Game
12/27/2017 6:05:00 PM | Women's Basketball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama women's basketball team (9-3) will play its final non-conference game of the regular season on Thursday when it hosts Florida A&M (2-10) at Coleman Coliseum. The game is slated for a 7 p.m. CT tip.
THE BROADCAST
• Thursday's game will stream live on SEC Network + via the WatchESPN app. Eli Gold (play-by-play) and Rick Moody (analyst) will be on the call.
• The game can also be heard on the Crimson Tide Sports Network on 93.3 FM in Tuscaloosa with Roger Hoover on the broadcast.
PROMOTIONS
• $1 Tickets: Tickets are available to Thursday's game for only $1.
OPENING TIP
• Alabama will be playing in its fifth of six consecutive home games when it takes on the Rattlers. This is the Crimson Tide's final non-conference game before opening Southeastern Conference play on December 31 against Missouri.
• UA enters today's game with a 7-0 record at home and is outscoring opponents by an average of 20.3 points per game (70.7-50.4) in Coleman Coliseum.
• Kristy Curry will be coaching in her 600th career game as a head coach.
• The Crimson Tide and Rattlers are meeting for the sixth time in the series and fourth in Tuscaloosa. The two teams first met on Nov. 28, 1986 in the 1986-87 season opener, which was being played at the Southern Invitational in Atlanta. Alabama came away with an 81-60 victory in the initial matchup. The series would resume on Dec. 17, 2008 in Tuscaloosa where the Tide won 70-68 in overtime. The next year, Alabama traveled to Tallahassee and fell 61-52 to the home Rattlers. The Tide has come away with victories in the last two meetings, winning 60-44 on Nov. 14, 2014, and 81-46 a year ago to the day on Dec. 28, 2016.
SCOUTING ALABAMA
• Alabama enters Thursday's game with a 9-3 overall and is in the midst of a five-game winning streak.
• The Crimson Tide is led in scoring and rebounding by senior Ashley Williams, who averages 11.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest, while sophomore Jordan Lewis leads the way in assists with 3.6 per game.
• Sophomore Ashley Knight leads the team and ranks second in the SEC and ninth nationally in blocks per game with an average of 3.00.
• As a team, the Crimson Tide is averaging 68.6 points per game, 13.9 more than its opponents, and is outrebounding the opposition 43.9-37.2.
• After finishing the 2016-17 season last in the SEC in free throw percentage, Alabama has jumped up to fifth, hitting 71.3 percent of its attempts as a team.
SCOUTING FLORIDA A&M
• Florida A&M enters Thursday's game with a 2-10 mark on the season, which includes a 1-7 record on the road.
• The Rattlers are led in scoring and assists by senior Florence Ouattara, who is averaging 15.1 points and 2.6 assists per game.
• Both seniors Shalaunda Burney-Robinson and Shakeyrra Morrison lead the team with an average of 8.2 boards per game.
• As a team, Florida A&M is averaging 60.2 points per game, while allowing 68.8 points per contest.
• The Rattlers are under the direction of LeDawn Gibson, who is in her 10th season as head coach. She's compiled a 136-149 overall record and led Florida A&M to the semifinals of the MEAC tournament a season ago as the four-seed.
