Alabama
Arkansas
Crimson Tide Women’s Basketball Hosts for No. 7/8 Gamecocks on Thursday
2/7/2018 2:16:00 PM | Women's Basketball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama women's basketball team (14-9, 4-6 SEC) concludes its two-game homestand on Thursday with No. 7/8 South Carolina (18-5, 7-3 SEC). The game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. CT start in Coleman Coliseum.
PROMOTIONS
• #TBT Night: Throwback T-shirt giveaway
• $1 admission
• Pizza giveaway for students
THE BROADCAST
• Thursday's game will air on the SEC Network with Eric Frede and Christy Thomaskutty 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
• Thursday's game will be the first, and only, of the regular season between the Crimson Tide and Gamecocks.
• Alabama won 11-straight games against South Carolina from 1992-2000. Since then, the Gamecocks have won 20 of the last 23 matchups, including the last 13 in a row.
• In last season's matchup, which took place in the SEC opener in Columbia on Jan. 1, 2017, South Carolina prevailed by a score of 93-45.
• The Tide's last win over the Gamecocks came on Jan. 10, 2008 by a score of 65-54 in Tuscaloosa.
SCOUTING ALABAMA
• Alabama enters Thursday's game with a 14-9 overall record and a 4-6 mark in Southeastern Conference play.
• UA is 10-3 in home games this season, which includes a 2-3 mark in against league opponents.
• The Crimson Tide is led in scoring by senior Hannah Cook, who averages 11.0 points per game and in rebounding by fellow senior Ashley Williams, who averages 6.3 boards per contest. Sophomore Jordan Lewis leads the way in assists with 3.6 per game.
• Sophomore Ashley Knight leads the team and ranks fourth in the SEC and 38th nationally in blocks per game with an average of 2.17. She is currently second in career blocks at Alabama (140) and is 47 away from tying Yolanda Watkins (187) for most in program history.
• As a team, the Crimson Tide is averaging 67.5 points per game, 6.7 more than its opponents, and is outrebounding the opposition 39.8-35.3.
• After finishing the 2016-17 season last in the SEC in free throw percentage, Alabama has jumped up to sixth, hitting 71.6 percent of its attempts as a team.
• In 19 of its 23 games this season, Alabama has had eight or more in the scoring column. In nine of those 19 games, 10 or more scored for the Crimson Tide.
• The Crimson Tide started its SEC season with a 3-1 record, which was its best mark since the 1997-98 season. Alabama has also won four of its first seven league games for the first time since that season.
SCOUTING SOUTH CAROLINA
• South Carolina stands at 18-5 overall and 7-3 in Southeastern Conference play after Monday night's 67-53 loss at Mississippi State.
• The Gamecocks are 6-2 on the road this season, which includes a 4-1 mark in league play.
• South Carolina is led by senior A'ja Wilson, who averages a double-double of 22.8 points and 11.6 rebounds. Junior Alexis Jennings follows with averages of 12.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Sophomore Tyasha Harris leads the team in assists with 6.4 per outing.
• South Carolina is under the direction of 10th-year head coach Dawn Staley, who led the Gamecocks to the 2017 NCAA Championship. In the last six seasons, Staley's Gamecocks have won 25 games or more and reached a high of 34 during the 2014-15 campaign. Staley owns a record of 239-85 in her 10 seasons in Columbia and a 411-165 mark overall having coached at Temple for eight seasons prior.
