Alabama
Georgia
Alabama Women’s Basketball Closes out Regular Season Home Slate with No. 19 Georgia
2/21/2018 2:25:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Crimson Tide and Lady Bulldogs to tip at 7 p.m. CT in Coleman Coliseum
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama women's basketball team (17-10, 7-7 SEC) will play its final home game of the 2017-18 regular season on Thursday when it welcomes 19th-ranked Georgia (22-5, 10-4 SEC) to town. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. CT tip inside Coleman Coliseum.
PROMOTIONS
• Callie's Place Pet Food Drive: Donate pet food to help Alabama women's basketball reach its goal of 1,500 pounds raised and receive $3 admission.
THE BROADCAST
• Thursday's game will air on SEC Network + with Eli Gold and Rick Moody 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
• Alabama will play its final home game of the regular season Thursday against Georgia.
• Last time out, the Crimson Tide won its seventh SEC contest of the season when it beat Auburn, 70-60, in Coleman Coliseum. It was UA's second win of the week as the Tide won at Tennessee for the first time in program history with a 72-63 victory over the No. 11 Lady Volunteers last Thursday.
• The win was Alabama's first over an AP top 25 team in its last 23 tries, dating back to the 57-55 victory at No. 9 Kentucky on Jan. 23, 2014.
• Alabama senior Ashley Williams was recognized as the SEC Player of the Week on Tuesday after recording a pair of double-doubles last week. She was also tabbed to the NCAA's Starting Five on Wednesday.
SCOUTING ALABAMA
• Alabama enters Thursday's game with a 17-10 overall record and a 7-7 mark in Southeastern Conference play.
• UA is 11-4 in home games this season, which includes a 3-4 mark against league opponents.
• The Crimson Tide is led in scoring by senior Hannah Cook, who averages 11.3 points per game and in rebounding by fellow senior Ashley Williams, who averages 6.5 boards per contest. Sophomore Jordan Lewis leads the way in assists with 3.4 per game.
• Sophomore Ashley Knight leads the team and ranks fourth in the SEC and 40th nationally in blocks per game with an average of 2.11. She is currently second in career blocks at Alabama (147) and is 40 away from tying Yolanda Watkins (187) for most in program history.
• In its last three games, UA has shot over 80 percent from the free throw line, hitting 82.4 percent (28-34) at Ole Miss, 87.4 percent (14-16) at Tennessee and 89.3 percent (25-28) against Auburn.
• As a team, the Crimson Tide is averaging 68.3 points per game, 6.0 more than its opponents, and is outrebounding the opposition 39.7-35.3.
• After finishing the 2016-17 season last in the SEC in free throw percentage, Alabama has jumped up to fifth, hitting 73.1 percent of its attempts as a team.
• In 20 of its 27 games this season, Alabama has had eight or more in the scoring column. In nine of those 20 games, 10 or more scored for the Crimson Tide.
SCOUTING GEORGIA
• Georgia stands at 22-5 on the season and 10-4 against Southeastern Conference opponents.
• The Lady Bulldogs are 9-2 in road games overall this season, which includes a 5-2 mark against league foes.
• Georgia snapped its two-game losing skid on Monday with a 66-52 victory at Ole Miss. Junior Caliya Robinson led the way with 28 points and 10 rebounds in the win. The Lady Bulldogs were also dominant on the boards, outrebounding the Rebels by 11, 43-32.
• Georgia is led in scoring and rebounding by junior Caliya Robinson, who averages 13.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. She also leads the team, and is No. 2 in the SEC, in blocks, averaging 3.0 per game. Redshirt sophomore Taja Cole leads the way in assists for the Lady Bulldogs with 4.4 per contest.
• As a team, Georgia ranks first in the SEC in field goal percentage defense, allowing the opposition to make just 35.1 percent of its attempts. The Lady Bulldogs also lead the league in assists with 16.5 per game.
• Georgia is under the direction of third-year head coach Joni Taylor, who took over for the legendary Lady Bulldog front man Andy Landers following his retirement. Taylor, née Crenshaw, is 59-30 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.
