Road Swing Begins at No. 15/14 Kentucky for Women’s Basketball

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama women's basketball will play its first of two road games this week on Thursday when it heads to Lexington, Ky. to take on the No. 15/14 Wildcats in SEC action. The game will be played at Rupp Arena and will tip at 5:30 p.m. CT.

FOLLOW ALONG

Thursday's game will air live on SEC Network with Roy Philpott and Christy Thomaskutty and can also be heard on the Crimson Tide Sports Network (WTBC-AM 1230 in Tuscaloosa) with Roger Hoover the call.

OPENING TIP

Alabama enters Thursday's game at Kentucky tied for fourth in the Southeastern Conference with a 12-2 overall record and 5-2 mark in league play.
The Tide has won five of its first seven SEC games for the first time since 1997-98 season.
Alabama currently ranks 28^th in the NET with a 5-2 record against teams ranked in the top 100.
The Tide's only two losses came to teams ranked No. 3 (South Carolina) and No. 13 (Tennessee) in the NET.
Alabama is the only team in the SEC and one of only three in the country with three players averaging 15.0 ppg or more (Jasmine Walker – 19.6 ppg, Jordan Lewis – 17.1 ppg, Ariyah Copeland – 15.0 ppg).
As a team, the Tide is ranked in the top 40 nationally in scoring, assists, rebounds, three-point field goals made, attempted and per game and in the top 23 nationally in all three free throw categories.
Alabama's 76.6 point-per-game average is the highest average it has had in nearly two decades.
The Tide is No. 1 in the SEC in free throw percentage and No. 2 in the league in three-point field goals made per game.
Alabama has the top three-point shooter in the SEC in Walker, who leads the league in makes, attempts and per game.
Walker is also the only player in the SEC to rank in the top four in the conference in both scoring (19.6 ppg) and rebounding (10.1 rpg).
The Tide has the most experienced point guard in the SEC in Lewis, who has started every game she's played in since she arrived on campus in 2016 (116 games).
Lewis is averaging 20.3 ppg in SEC games, ranking fourth in the league.
Lewis is also the SEC's active leader in assists and is No. 4 in career steals, No. 5 in career points and No. 12 in career rebounds.
Alabama and Kentucky will meet once this season after seeing each other twice during the 2019-20 campaign.
Last year's game in Lexington was tightly contested with the home Wildcats winning by four, 66-62.
Walker led all scorers in that game with 17 points.
Kentucky is in the midst of a nine-game winning streak in the series.
The last time the Tide defeated Kentucky at home was on Jan. 23, 2014, 57-55.

Last Five Meetings

Jan. 25, 2018	L	54-79	Lexington, Ky.
March 1, 2018	L	64-71	Nashville, Tenn.
Feb. 11, 2019	L	53-68	Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Jan. 9, 2020	L	71-81	Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Feb. 6, 2020	L	62-66	Lexington, Ky.

ABOUT KENTUCKY

Kentucky enters Thursday's game at 11-4 on the season and 4-3 against SEC foes.
The Wildcats faced five ranked teams in their first seven league contests, posting a 2-4 record.
Kentucky is 8-1 at home heading into the game with Alabama.
The Wildcats are led by National Player of the Year candidate Rhyne Howard, who averages 19.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per contest, while Chasity Patterson, Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Midseason Watch List member, leads the nation in steals with an average of 4.0 per game.
As a team, Kentucky is averaging 76.1 points per game and 10.1 steals per contest.
The Wildcats are under the direction of first-year head coach Kyra Elzy, who took over for Matthew Mitchell following his retirement on Nov. 11, 2020.

LAST TIME OUT

Alabama recorded its 12th win of the season on Sunday with a 67-55 decision over Auburn at Coleman Coliseum.
Ariyah Copeland, Lewis and Walker combined to score 55 of Alabama's 67 points to lead the way offensively
Walker finished as the team's leading rebounder with nine boards, while Lewis was just shy of a triple double with 19 points, a season-high eight rebounds and a season-best eight assists
Copeland, in addition to her 19 points, played solid defense against Auburn's All-SEC First Teamer in Unique Thompson, who was held under her scoring and rebounding averages.
Alabama began the game on an 11-0 run and led by as many as 12 in the first quarter.
Late in the second, Auburn pulled within two, however the Tide responded by scoring the final seven point of the frame to lead by nine at the half, 31-22.
The Tigers threatened again in the third and early in the fourth to cut the Alabama lead to four, but a quick five-point swing in favor of the Tide would help start a run that would push it back to double digits for good.
Lewis and Walker have scored in double figures in all seven SEC contests this season.
Lewis' eight rebounds and eight assists were season highs and each one shy of her career bests in both categories
Walker had 12 of her 17 points in the second half, while Copeland added 10 of hers in the final 20:00.
Lewis dished out five of her assists in the fourth quarter.
As a team, Alabama shot 57.1 percent in the last 10:00, to bring its game average to 46.4 percent.

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University of Alabama Athletics

Road Swing Begins at No. 15/14 Kentucky for Women’s Basketball

Players Mentioned

Ariyah Copeland

Jordan Lewis

Jasmine Walker

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