Alabama
University of Georgia
Alabama Women’s Basketball Heads to Georgia for Final Regular Season Road Matchup
2/22/2017 12:10:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Crimson Tide and Lady Bulldogs to tip at 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network +
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama women's basketball team will play its final road game of the 2016-17 regular season on Thursday when it takes on the Georgia Lady Bulldogs at Stegeman Coliseum. The game is slated for a 6 p.m. CT tip on SEC Network +.
THE BROADCAST
Thursday's game will air live on SEC Network + with Matt Stewart and Kiesha Brown on the broadcast. The game can also be heard on the Crimson Tide Sports Network with Roger Hoover calling the action.
OPENING TIP
Alabama is in the midst of a two-game winning streak after picking up victories at home against Tennessee and on the road in overtime against Auburn.
The Crimson Tide has won two of the last three against the Lady Bulldogs, however Georgia had won 23 straight in the series prior to Alabama's win in 2014. The Tide's last victory in Athens came on Jan. 15, 1997, by a score of 68-64.
Juniors Hannah Cook and Ashley Williams are both close to reaching the 1,000 point milestone. Cook currently stands at 964 points, 36 away from 1,000, while Williams is 40 points away from the mark at 960.
Freshman Jordan Lewis picked up her fifth SEC Freshman of the Week honor on Tuesday following her performances against Tennessee and Auburn. She scored three of Alabama's 10 points in overtime and pulled down two clutch defensive rebounds on Auburn's final two possessions in the bonus period to help seal the Tide's 63-61 victory over the Tigers, which was UA's first in Auburn since 2011. In Thursday's game against Tennessee, Lewis tied her career high in assists with eight, helping Alabama beat the Lady Vols in back-to-back games for the first time in program history. For the week, Lewis averaged 10.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.5 steals in 39.0 minutes of action
Freshman Ashley Knight has 64 blocks on the year, which is tied for first in the SEC and is 24th in the nation. She currently stands at No. 2 on Alabama's single-season top 10 list and is four away from tying Yolanda Watkins' Crimson Tide record at 68 blocks, which she achieved during the 1993-94 season.
17 WINS THE MOST UNDER CURRY AT ALABAMA
With its win at Auburn on Feb. 20, Alabama reached 17 overall victories for the season, which is the most since head coach Kristy Curry took over and the most since the Crimson Tide reached 18 for the 2010-11 season.
ALABAMA SETS AUBURN ARENA REBOUNDING RECORD
In Alabama's 63-61 overtime win at Auburn on Feb. 20, the Crimson Tide pulled down 56 rebounds, which set the Auburn Arena record for most rebounds in a game. The previous high was 52, which had been achieved four times (last on Nov. 15, 2013 by Auburn vs. Alabama State).
COCO SHINES IN LAST FOUR GAMES
Junior Coco Knight has been a huge boost off the bench the last four games for Alabama. Over that span, she's averaged 10.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 13.0 minutes per contest. In the Crimson Tide's win over Tennessee, Knight had a season-high 18 points and eight rebounds in addition to a season-high tying three assists.
COOK MOVES UP CAREER THREE-POINT CATEGORIES
Junior Hannah Cook has been one of the best shooters from long range since arriving on campus and has moved her way into the Alabama record books in every three-point category for a career. She currently has 185 makes, which ranks eighth and is eight away from the No. 7 spot held by Monique Bivens (2001-05). Cook's 542 attempts is also eighth, six away from Bivens, who is also seventh in that category. In three-point percentage for a career, Cook stands at No. 10, hitting 34.1 of her attempts.
ALABAMA FRESHMEN TAKE HOME SIX SEC FoW HONORS
Alabama has won six of the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week honors this season, which is just one more than it has won in its program history overall heading into the year. Point guard Jordan Lewis picked up the league honors on Nov. 15, Dec. 27, Jan. 10, Jan. 24 and most recently on Feb. 21, making her the only freshman in program history to earn weekly honors five times and the only student-athlete to accumulate five SEC weekly awards throughout her career. Ashley Knight has also been recognized, earning her award on Dec. 20.
SHOT-BLOCKING SENSATION
Freshman Ashley Knight has been stellar thus far defensively in the paint. She already has 64 blocks on the season, for an average of 2.4 rejections per game. Her 2.4 block average ranks the Austin, Texas native second in the Southeastern Conference and 26th nationally, while her 64 overall blocks is tied for first in the league 21st in the country. Knight is also second on the Alabama single season top 10 list and is already 14 away from the Tide's career top 10 list.
BOLTON AMONG ALABAMA'S TOP 10 IN CAREER BLOCKS
With her 26 blocks thus far this season, junior NeNe Bolton moved into Alabama's top 10 in career blocks. Heading into Monday's game she has 92 total, which ranks sixth. She is now six blocks away from the No. 5 spot currently held by Terri Hillard (1980-84).
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 619 times, 213 more times than its opponents (406). Alabama ranks first in the SEC and fifth in the nation in free throw attempts.
ABOUT GEORGIA
Georgia has won four of its last six games in SEC play, two of which have come in overtime. The Lady Bulldogs are 10-5 overall at home this season and 4-3 at Stegeman Coliseum in league play.
Last time out, Georgia outlasted LSU, 70-65, in overtime on Sunday in Athens. Senior Pachis Roberts led the way with 28 points, five rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals, while sophomore Caliya Robinson chipping in 20 points, eight rebounds, four blocks and one assist.
Roberts leads the team in scoring and rebounding for the season with averages of 14.3 points and 6.9 rebounds. Robinson averages a league-best 2.6 blocks per game, while junior Haley Clark dishes out a team-high 4.1 assists per contest.
Georgia is under the direction of second-year head coach Joni Taylor, who took over for the legendary Lady Bulldog front man Andy Landers following his retirement. Taylor, née Crenshaw, is 35-23 thus far in her tenure as Georgia's head coach. Taylor was the associate head coach for Alabama from 2008-10 and played for the Crimson Tide from 1997-2001.
