Alabama
University of Florida
Alabama Women’s Basketball Hosts Florida for Power of Pink/Play4Kay Game on Sunday
2/11/2017 3:03:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Crimson Tide and Gators to square off at 1 p.m. CT
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama women's basketball team (15-9, 3-8 SEC) returns to Tuscaloosa for its first home game in two weeks to host the Florida Gators (12-12, 3-8). Tip is slated for 1 p.m. CT in Coleman Coliseum.
PROMOTIONS
Power of Pink/Play4Kay: Tide's annual breast cancer awareness game
Giveaway: 300 Power of Pink T-shirts
8 Hoo's Q 30 for 30: If the team scores 30 points in the first quarter of the game, everyone in the stands will receive 30 percent off from Hoo's Q.
Tuscaloosa Toyota Season Long Giveaways: Throughout the season, Tuscaloosa Toyota will be giving away prizes such as an iPad Pro 9.7", Beats headphones, $50 iTunes gift cards, $50 American Express gift cards and 43" LCD televisions.
THE BROADCAST
Sunday's game will air live on the SEC Network with Roy Philpott and Brooke Weisbrod on the broadcast. The game can also be heard on the Crimson Tide Sports Network with Roger Hoover and Tyler Williams calling the action.
OPENING TIP
Alabama returns home after consecutive road games at LSU and Texas A&M to host the Florida Gators. Sunday's matchup is the lone regular season contest in 2017 between the Crimson Tide and Gators.
Sunday's game has been designated as Alabama's annual Power of Pink/Play4Kay event, helping to raise awareness in the fight against breast cancer.
Florida has won the last six meetings in the series that dates back to 1976. The last four games have been extremely close as they've been decided by eight points of fewer. Last year's matchup in Gainesville went in favor of the Gators, 80-72. The Tide's last win in the series came on Feb. 13, 2011 when it reopened Foster Auditorium.
Juniors Hannah Cook and Ashley Williams are both on pace to reach the 1,000 point milestone by season's end. Cook currently stands at 927 points, 73 away from 1,000, while Williams is only 49 points away from the mark at 951 points.
Freshman Ashley Knight has 57 blocks on the year, which ranks No. 1 in the SEC and 18th in the nation. She currently stands at No. 3 on Alabama's single-season top 10 list and is four away from the No. 2 spot, which is held by Tausha Mills (1997-98). Yolanda Watkins holds the Crimson Tide record at 68 blocks, which she achieved during the 1993-94 season.
BOLTON AMONG ALABAMA'S TOP 10 IN CAREER BLOCKS
With her 21 blocks thus far this season, junior NeNe Bolton moved into Alabama's top 10 in career blocks. Heading into Sunday's game she has 87 total, which ranks seventh. She is now four 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 an even stronger showing this season getting to the line a total of 565 times, 201 more times than its opponents (364). Alabama ranks first in the SEC and fifth in the nation in free throw attempts.
WATCHING WADE
Shaquera Wade's production all over the court has nearly doubled in every category from a season ago. The sophomore is averaging 10.4 points, a team-high 6.2 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 1.7 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.
FAB FROSH
Alabama's freshmen, Ashley Knight and Jordan Lewis, have made an immediate impact in the Tide's lineup. Lewis, who has started at point guard, leads the team, and ranks seventh in the Southeastern Conference, in assists (4.0 apg) and is fourth on the team in scoring (9.8 ppg). Knight, the 6-5 post, averages a team-best 2.4 blocks per game while adding 7.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per contest.
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 24 games, the Tide's reserves have accounted for 480 points (20.0 ppg), 290 rebounds (12.1 rpg), 71 assists (3.0 apg), 73 blocks (3.0 bpg) and 42 steals (1.8 spg).
ABOUT FLORIDA
Florida heads into Sunday's contest with a 12-12 overall record and a 3-8 mark in SEC play. Last time out, the Gators notched their first league victory of the season at home by beating Arkansas, 57-53.
Florida is led in scoring and rebounding by all-SEC performer Ronni Williams. The senior is averaging 18.9 points per game, which ranks first in the SEC, and 7.8 boards. Junior Dyandria Anderson is the team's leader in assists at 4.6 per contest.
As a team, the Gators are averaging 73.2 points per game, which ranks fourth in the SEC standings.
Florida is under the direction of Amanda Butler, who is in her 10th season with the Gators. She has led UF to eight postseason appearances, four of which have come in the NCAA tournament. Butler holds a record of 187-133 as head coach of the Gators and a 227-155 mark overall as a head coach, spending the 2005-07 seasons at Charlotte.
