Alabama
Virginia
Crimson Tide Begins Florida Sunshine Classic Against Virginia on Thursday
12/19/2018 9:55:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Alabama will play the Cavaliers at 3 p.m. CT in Winter Park, Fla.
WINTER PARK, Fla. – The Alabama women's basketball team will take on Virginia to begin the Florida Sunshine Classic on Thursday, Dec. 20 at 3 p.m. CT inside Warden Arena located on the campus of Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla. The Crimson Tide (7-4) has won its last two games, while the Cavaliers (4-6) is coming off a 57-44 setback to Radford on Dec. 8.
THE BROADCAST
• Thursday's game will be streamed live on FloHoops.com with Jacob Rongholt (play-by-play) 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.
OPENING TIP
• The Tide opens its first of two games in the Florida Sunshine Classic when it takes on Virginia on Thursday, Dec. 20 at 4 p.m. ET/3 p.m. CT inside Warden Arena. The Tide will also play No. 24 Miami on Friday, Dec. 21 at 6:15 p.m. ET/5:15 p.m. CT.
• The Crimson Tide (7-4) most recently defeated Northwestern State 87-73 at home on Sunday, Dec. 16, while the Cavaliers last played on Dec. 8 when they lost Radford, 57-44 at on their home court.
• Virginia leads the all-time series 2-1, with Alabama getting the best of the Cavaliers in the most recent meeting 73-70 in double overtime on Dec. 21, 2012 in Tuscaloosa.
ALABAMA VS. ACC
• The Crimson Tide is 30-27 all-time against Atlantic Coast Conference teams.
• The Tide is 1-0 against ACC teams this year when UA came away with a 76-56 victory over Clemson (11/19).
• In addition to the game against Virginia, the Tide will also take on fellow ACC opponent in No. 24 Miami (Fla.) on Friday to conclude the Florida Sunshine Classic.
ABOUT VIRGINIA
• Virginia is 4-6 in its 2018-19 campaign, including an 0-3 record against Power 5 opponents. The Cavaliers hold a 1-2 mark away from home.
• UVA is led by junior Jocelyn Willoughby who averages 12.2 points per game, along with Dominique Toussaint who puts in 10.5 points per contest.
• Last season Virginia finished 19-14 overall including a 10-6 mark in the ACC. The Cavaliers' season ended in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against No. 2 seed South Carolina.
NEWS AND NOTES
• De'Sha Benjamin was named the Southeastern Conference Co-Freshman of the Week on Tuesday morning. The honor is the first of Benjamin's career and the first for an Alabama player since Jordan Lewis earned SEC Freshman of the Week five times back in 2016-17.
• Head Coach Kristy Curry notched her 400th-career win in her career on Sunday, Dec. 16 against Northwestern State (87-73). Curry currently ranks 4th in the SEC among active coaches in career wins and is just nine wins away from her 100th victory at Alabama.
• Sophomore Ariyah Copeland's improvement can be spotted on the court and on the stat sheet. Through 11 games this season the Columbus, Ga. native, is tops on the team with 1.4 blocks per game and second on the team with seven rebounds per contest. Most recently, the Columbus, Ga., native had a monster game vs. Northwestern State (12/16) after totaling a career-high 26 points (10-of-13 shooting) to go along with 12 rebounds, marking her second double-double of the season and third of her career. The 26 points were the most by an Alabama player since the 2016-17 season.
• Lewis made her return against South Alabama (12/5) after missing five games due to a knee injury. In her first three contests back, Lewis has been fantastic averaging 15.3 points, five rebounds, and three assists.
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