Alabama
Louisiana State University
Alabama Women’s Basketball Begins Road Swing at LSU on Sunday
2/4/2017 2:41:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Crimson Tide and Lady Tigers to tip at 3 p.m. CT on the SEC Network
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama women's basketball team (15-7, 3-6 SEC) hits the road for its first of consecutive road games when it takes on the LSU Lady Tigers (15-7, 4-5 SEC) in Baton Rouge on Sunday. The game will air live on the SEC Network beginning at 3 p.m. CT.
OPENING TIP
LSU leads the overall series, 38-18, and has won 22 of the 25 meetings in Baton Rouge. The Crimson Tide's last win on the road to the Tigers came on Jan. 29, 1998, by a score of 67-54. This will be the lone meeting between UA and LSU in 2017.
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 921 points, 79 away from 1,000, while Williams is only 57 points away from the mark at 943 points.
Freshman Ashley Knight has 56 blocks on the year, which ranks No. 1 in the SEC and 16th in the nation. She currently stands at No. 3 on Alabama's single-season top 10 list and is five 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.
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 529 times, 201 more times than its opponents (329). 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 11.1 points, a team-high 6.4 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.
WILLIAMS REACHES 500 CAREER REBOUNDS; CLOSING IN ON 1,000 POINTS
With her first rebound on Jan. 29 vs. Auburn, junior Ashley Williams reached the 500 rebound mark for her career. She enters Sunday's game with 503.
ABOUT LSU
LSU enters Sunday's game with a 15-7 overall record, which includes a 4-5 mark in Southeastern Conference play. The Tigers are 10-3 at home this season.
Last time out, LSU dropped a 77-58 decision at Tennessee. In the loss, redshirt junior Raigyne Moncrief led the way with 20 points, seven rebounds, three steals and a pair of assists.
Moncrief leads the Tigers in nearly every statistical category including points per game (15.1), rebounds (5.7), assists (2.9) and steals (3.6). Sophomore Chloe Jackson, an NC State transfer, has also been a key component in the LSU lineup this season, averaging 13.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game.
LSU is under the direction of Nikki Fargas, who is in her sixth season with the Tigers and ninth overall as a head coach. In her tenure in Baton Rouge, Fargas has had three 20-win seasons, made two Sweet Sixteen appearances and made four trips to the NCAA tournament. Prior to taking over at LSU, Fargas was head coach at UCLA from 2008-11.
