Alabama
Mercer University
Crimson Tide Women’s Basketball Welcomes Mercer for WNIT First Round Matchup
3/15/2017 3:05:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Tip set for 7 p.m. CT at Coleman Coliseum
TUSCALOOSA Ala. – The Alabama women's basketball team will play its opening round game of the 2017 Women's National Invitation Tournament on Thursday at 7 p.m. CT when it hosts Mercer at Coleman Coliseum. General admission tickets are currently on sale for $5.
THE BROADCAST
Thursday's game will be streamed on RollTide.com and can also be heard on the Crimson Tide Sports Network with Roger Hoover and Tyler Williams calling the action.
OPENING TIP
Alabama heads into the 2017 WNIT with a 19-13 overall record after advancing to the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament for the first time since 2005.
Alabama is making its second straight appearance in the WNIT and sixth overall. The Tide also competed in the tournament in 2011 and in three consecutive seasons from 2000-02. UA holds an overall record of 5-5 in WNIT games.
Alabama and Mercer will be meeting for the fourth time in series history on Thursday. The Tide owns a 2-1 advantage, however the Bears came away with the victory the last time the two teams met on Dec. 14, 2014.
Freshman Ashley Knight set the Alabama single season block record on March 1 in the Tide's victory over Vanderbilt in the SEC tournament. Knight now has 78 for the season, which is tied for 10th most in a career. She's ranked 19th in the nation, and first in the SEC, in overall blocks and 24th nationally and second in the league on blocks per game at 2.4.
Both junior Hannah Cook and Ashley Williams scored their 1,000th career point at the SEC tournament. Cook recorded hers in Thursday's game against Tennessee, while Williams followed up the next day in Friday's contest versus Kentucky.
ABOUT MERCER
Mercer heads into the WNIT with a 25-6 overall record after having advanced to the Southern Conference championship game where the Bears fell to Chattanooga by two. In fact, all three of Mercer's losses after starting league play were to the Mocs.
Junior Kahlia Lawrence earned her second straight Southern Conference Player of the Year award in 2017, while fellow junior Sydni Means was tabbed a first team all-conference selection.
The Bears have three averaging double figures, led by Lawrence's 18.0 points per game. She is following by sophomore KeKe Calloway (12.4 ppg) and Means (10.8 ppg). Sophomore Amanda Thompson leads the team in rebounds with 6.9 boards per game, while Means dishes out a team-best 6.8 assists per contest.
Mercer is under the direction of Susie Gardner, who is in her seventh season as head coach of the Bears. She has led Mercer to four 20-win campaigns in five seasons and back-to-back Southern Conference regular season titles. Gardner holds an overall record of 290-253 in 18 seasons, which includes a 114-106 mark in seven seasons in Macon.
