Alabama
South Carolina
Alabama Hits the Road for SEC Matchup Against No. 23 South Carolina
1/5/2019 1:10:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Crimson Tide will take on the Gamecocks tomorrow at 11 a.m. CT on ESPNU
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama will open the SEC road slate when it travels to take on No. 23 South Carolina on Sunday, Jan. 6 at 11 a.m. CT inside Colonial Life Arena. The Crimson Tide (9-5, 1-0 SEC) is coming off a 74-67 win over Florida on Thursday, while the Gamecocks (9-4, 1-0 SEC) went on the road and defeated No. 21 Texas A&M, 60-57.
THE BROADCAST
• Sunday's game air live on ESPNU. Eric Frede (play-by-play) and Christy Thomaskutty (analyst) will be 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 will play its first SEC road game when it travels to Columbia, S.C., to take on No. 23 South Carolina inside Colonial Life Arena on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT.
• The Crimson Tide (9-5, 1-0 SEC) is coming off a 20-point comeback victory over Florida in Coleman Coliseum on Thursday night. The Tide bested the Gators (4-10, 0-1 SEC), 74-67, and has won four of its last five contests.
• The No. 23rd-ranked Gamecocks (9-4, 1-0 SEC) most recently picked up a 60-57 road victory against No. 21 Texas A&M on Thursday evening in College Station.
• Sunday's game marks the 40th time the two schools have met with South Carolina winning the last 14 meetings between the two. Alabama's last win against the Gamecocks came on Jan. 10, 2008 in Tuscaloosa. The Tide has not won in Columbia since Feb. 17, 2000, when UA defeated USC 69-67. Last season, Alabama fell to No. 7 South Carolina, 79-66 on Feb. 8, 2018 in Coleman Coliseum.
ABOUT SOUTH CAROLINA
• No. 23 USC is 9-4 on the season and won its SEC opener for the sixth year in a row after defeating No. 21 Texas A&M, 60-57 on Thursday night in College Station, Texas.
• The Gamecocks are second in the country and first in the SEC with 7.4 blocks per game, while junior Mikiah Herbert Harrigan is second in the SEC with 2.4 blocks per contest.
• Offensively, South Carolina is led by Te'a Cooper who averages 13.2 points and Tyasha Harris who puts in 10.2 points per game.
• Last season USC earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and fell in the Elite Eight to No. 1 Connecticut. The Gamecocks ended the year with a 28-8 record and a 12-4 mark in SEC play.
NEWS AND NOTES
• Junior Cierra Johnson has scored in double digits in each of the last 11 games and currently is tied for tops on the team with 13.9 points per game (17th in SEC) and is first on the team in total assists with 40 through 14 games, while averaging 23 points over the last two games. Most recently, Johnson moved from shooting guard to starting at the point guard position with the injury to Jordan Lewis. In her first game at the point, Johnson totaled 19 points, five assists and five rebounds against UF (1/3).
• Sophomore Jasmine Walker has made great improvements this season with the Tide. The Montgomery, Ala. native, is currently tied for first on the team in points (13.9 per game) and tops on the squad in rebounds (7.6 per game). Walker also leads the team with three double-doubles this season and has five games in which she has registered double-digit rebounds. Her 7.6 rebounds per contest ranks 12th in the SEC, while her 13.9 points ranks 16th in the league.
• Sophomore Ariyah Copeland's improvement can be spotted on the court and on the stat sheet. Through 14 games this season the Columbus, Ga. native, is tops on the team with 1.1 blocks per game and second on the team with 6.6 rebounds per contest. The Columbus, Ga., native is second on the team with two double-doubles this season and has started the last five games for the Tide.
• Getting off to a good start has been key for the Tide this season, when leading at half UA is 8-0, while when trailing, 1-5.
• The Tide will travel for its third true road contest of the year. So far this season, Alabama is 1-1 on the road after falling to Utah, 72-62 on Nov. 13 and then bouncing back with a 62-61 overtime win against SMU (Nov. 15) in Dallas.
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