Women’s Basketball Welcomes in Mississippi State for Senior Day

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Ariyah Copeland, Jordan Lewis and Jasmine Walker will be recognized in a pregame ceremony Sunday as the Crimson Tide hosts Mississippi State for its Senior Day game. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. CT in Coleman Coliseum.

FOLLOW ALONG

Sunday's game will air live on SEC Network+ with Eli Gold and Rick Moody on the call and can also be heard on the Crimson Tide Sports Network (WTBC-AM 1230 in Tuscaloosa) with Roger Hoover providing the play-by-play.

OPENING TIP

Alabama enters Sunday's game with a 14-6 overall record and 7-6 mark in SEC play.
The Tide is currently No. 6 in the SEC standings.
Alabama ranks 32^nd in the NET with five of its six losses coming to teams ranked 19 or higher in the NET in No. 3 (South Carolina, twice), No. 14 (Tennessee), No. 16 (Georgia) and No. 19 (Kentucky).
The Tide is one of seven SEC teams ranked in the top 32 of the NET.
Alabama's 75.6 point-per-game average is the highest average it has had in nearly two decades.
The Tide is No. 2 in the SEC in free throw percentage (75.7) and top two in the league in nearly every three-point shooting category.
Alabama is led by its big three of Copeland, Lewis and Walker. Walker leads the way, averaging just shy of a double-double with 20.9 points and 9.9 rebounds, while Lewis adds 16.3 points, 4.5 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game and Copeland 14.3 points and 8.3 boards per outing.
Alabama has one of the top three-point shooters in the SEC and in the nation in Walker, who leads the league, and ranks top 9 nationally, in three-pointers per game (3.20), made (64) and attempted (154) and is No. 3 in the SEC in percentage (41.6).
Walker is also the only player in the SEC to rank in the top five in the conference in both scoring and rebounding.
Walker was named SEC Player of the Week on Tuesday following her record-setting performance at Auburn where she scored 41 to become Alabama's single-game scoring leader.
Walker was also recently named a finalist for the 2021 Katrina McClain Award and to the Naismith Trophy Women's Midseason Team.
The Tide has one of the most experienced point guards in the SEC in Lewis, who has started every game she's played in since she arrived on campus in 2016 (123 games).
Lewis is also the SEC's active leader in assists (485) and is No. 4 in career steals (151), No. 5 in career points (1,449) and No. 14 in career rebounds (506).

SERIES NOTES

Sunday's game will be the second meeting this season between the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs and 61st overall in the series.
Alabama owns a 38-22 advantage, including the last two. Prior to that, Mississippi State had won six straight.
The Tide's last two victories against the Bulldogs have come on the road and its last in Tuscaloosa was nearly seven years ago to the date on Feb. 20, 2014 by a score of 72-64.

Last Five Meetings

Jan. 14, 2021	W		86-78	Starkville, Miss.
Feb. 23, 2020	W		66-64	Starkville, Miss.
Feb. 3, 2019		L	49-65	Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Jan. 14, 2018		L	61-75	Starkville, Miss.
Jan. 19, 2017		L	54-67	Tuscaloosa, Ala.

ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE

Mississippi State is 8-6 overall and 3-5 in SEC play heading into Sunday's game.
The Bulldogs are currently in ninth place in the conference standings.
Mississippi State is in the midst of a four-game losing skid, beginning with the Jan. 14 contest against the Tide and hasn't played since Feb. 11 due to opponent COVID issues and the recent inclement weather in the South.
The Bulldogs are led by the trio of Rickea Jackson, Jessika Carter and Myah Taylor. Jackson averages a team-best 15.6 points per game, while Carter chips in 15.0 point and a team-high 8.9 rebounds per game. Taylor averages a team-best 4.5 assists per game in addition to her 9.5 point-per-game contribution.
As a team, Mississippi State is averaging 66.8 points per game against SEC opponents and 34.4 rebounds per contest.
The Bulldogs are under the direction of Women's Basketball Hall of Famer Nikki McCray-Penson, who is in her first season in Starkville. She spent three seasons as head coach at Old Dominion, winning 2020 Conference USA Coach of the Year honors, following her run as an assistant at South Carolina.

LAST TIME OUT

Alabama's seniors combined for 58 points to lead the Tide offensively to a 77-70 road victory at Florida on Thursday.
Walker had a team-high 22 points, while Lewis was just behind at 20 in addition to a game-best five assists in her 40:00 of play.
Copeland rounded out the trio in double figures with 16 points.
Megan Abrams had a big game all around collecting eight points, a career-high tying nine rebounds, a career-best five steals and three assists.
Alabama shot over 50 percent in the second and third quarters and finished at 44.8 percent for the game.
The Tide also had a successful night from the free throw line, knocking down 16 of its 19 attempts, good for 84.2 percent.
Alabama capitalized on Florida's 15 turnovers, scoring 18 points off the Gator miscues.

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University of Alabama Athletics

Women’s Basketball Welcomes in Mississippi State for Senior Day

Players Mentioned

Megan Abrams

Ariyah Copeland

Jordan Lewis

Jasmine Walker

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