Crimson Tide Meets Top-Ranked Gamecocks in Columbia Thursday

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Crimson Tide women's basketball team will face its second Associated Press Top 10 team of the season this week, as Alabama meets No. 1/1 South Carolina in Columbia, S.C., Thursday at 6:02 p.m. CT. The contest will be broadcast on SEC Network, with Richard Cross and Brooke Weisbrod on the call.

The Crimson Tide is 11-9 this season, including 2-7 in the Southeastern Conference and 1-3 in SEC road games. Alabama will look for its first win over an AP Top 10 team since defeating No. 9 Mississippi State, 66-64, Feb. 23, 2020 in Starkville, Miss., and its first win over an AP No. 1 team in program history.

South Carolina is on an eight-game win streak, taking its solo loss of the season in its conference opener at Missouri, 70-69, Dec. 30.

Alabama is coming off a loss to the league's top-ranked scoring team in RV/NR Missouri, 77-61, last weekend. Four starters scored double digits for the second time this season and the first time in conference action, as JaMya Mingo-Young paced the team on 15 points, while also recording three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Megan Abrams added 14 points, while Hannah Barber and Jada Rice tacked on 12 points apiece.

Since the conference schedule began, Brittany Davis has led the team in scoring average (15.2) and in rebound average (7.6). Mingo-Young follows with 11.3 points per game, while Abrams adds 10.4 points per game.

About Alabama

Turning the page into February, Alabama will embark on a short road stretch, stopping at No. 1/1 South Carolina Thursday, Feb. 3 for a 6:02 p.m. CT tip and at Vanderbilt Sunday, Feb. 6 for a 2:02 p.m. CT tip.
The Crimson Tide is 11-9 this season.
- The Tide is 2-7 in the Southeastern Conference.
- The Tide is 1-3 in SEC road games.
Alabama is coming off a loss to RV/NR Missouri, 77-61, Sunday, Jan. 30 in Coleman Coliseum.
- Before that, the Crimson Tide enjoyed a bye game Thursday, Jan. 27. Prior to that bye game, the Tide had played in more SEC games than any team in the conference, eight straight, thanks to no COVID-19 complications that kept them from playing.
In SEC games, the Crimson Tide is shooting 37.4 percent from the field and 32.5 percent from long range, averaging 63.3 points per game.
- In conference action, the Tide is holding its opponents to shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 35.1 percent from long range, averaging 74.1 points per game.
In SEC games, two players are averaging double-figure scoring in Brittany Davis (15.2) and JaMya Mingo-Young (11.3).
- Overall this season, Davis is eighth in the conference and 85th in the nation in final points (311), while she is 12th in the conference in points per game (15.6).
- Overall this season, Both Davis and Hannah Barber are ranked in the SEC top six in three-point field goals per game with 2.35 and 2.26, respectively.
In SEC games, Brittany Davis is leading Alabama in rebounds per game (7.6), followed by JaMya Mingo-Young (5.4).
- Overall this season, Davis is 10th in the conference in rebounds (145), while she is 12th in the conference in rebounds per game (7.2).
Alabama has used the same starting combination in all but three games this season, with those three games featuring a shuffled lineup only because of COVID-19 complications (Florida, Arkansas, at Auburn), including guards Megan Abrams, Hannah Barber, Brittany Davis and JaMya Mingo-Young and center Jada Rice.

About No. 1/1 South Carolina

South Carolina is 20-1, including 8-1 in the SEC and 5-0 in SEC home games.
- South Carolina is coming off a 62-50 win at Florida Sunday, Jan. 30.
  - In that game, Aliyah Boston paced the Gamecocks with 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting and 4-of-6 from the stripe. She complimented her double-digit scoring with double-digit rebounding, adding 19 off the glass, while also tacking on three blocks and two assists. Zia Cooke was the only other Gamecock to produce 10-plus points in the game, adding 11 points on 4-of-15 shooting.
In SEC games, South Carolina is shooting 42.8 percent from the field and 30.6 percent from long range, averaging 70.1 points per game.
- In conference action, the Gamecocks are holding its opponents to shooting 32.3 percent from the field and 28.0 percent from long range, averaging 52.1 points per game.
In SEC games, three players are averaging double-figure scoring in Aliyah Boston (17.1), Nia Cooke (11.6) and Destanni Henderson (10.4).
- In conference action, Boston is also leading the Gamecocks in rebounds per game (14.1).
Overall this season, South Carolina leads the nation in blocks (173), blocks per game (8.2) and rebound margin (18.2). The Gamecocks also lead the conference and rank top-10 nationally in scoring defense (51.5) and scoring margin (19.7).
- Overall this season, Aliyah Boston leads the conference and is ranked top-25 nationally in field-goal percentage (55.0).

Inside the Series

South Carolina leads Alabama in all-time meetings, 29-15, in a series that began in 1979.
The Gamecocks have won the last 19 straight games against the Crimson Tide.
In the most previous matchup, South Carolina defeated Alabama, 75-63, in the Southeastern Conference Tournament Quarterfinals March 5, 2021.
In that game, the Crimson Tide outscored the Gamecocks in the final three quarters, but couldn't overcome its 26-6 first-quarter deficit. Former guard Jordan Lewis led all scorers in the game with 25 points.

Last Time Out

The University of Alabama women's basketball team couldn't tame the No. 1 shooting team in the Southeastern Conference Sunday, falling to RV/NR Missouri, 77-61, in Coleman Coliseum. The Crimson Tide fell to a 11-9 (2-7) record on the season, while the Tigers improved to 16-6 (5-4) in 2021-22.
Four Crimson Tide starters put together double-digit scoring performances in the game, while JaMya Mingo-Young paced the team for the fifth time this season. The junior had 15 points on 5-of-11 from the field and 4-of-5 from the stripe, recording three rebounds, two assists and two steals in 30 minutes of action.
Megan Abrams, who made her first start since mid-January, proved time off was no disadvantage as the senior added 14 points on 6-of-15 shooting, including a pair of three-point field goals. She tacked on two rebounds, an assist and a steal. Hannah Barber and Jada Rice added 12 points apiece, while all 12 of Rice's points came in the second half.
UA shot 40.4 percent from the field on 23-of-57 shooting, making six of its 18 three-point field goal attempts. UM shot 50.0 percent or better in three of four quarters in the conference clash, concluding the game on 59.6 percent from the field on 28-of-47 shooting, including nine 3-pointers. Alabama made nine of its 11 attempts from the stripe, while Missouri went 12-of-16 at the line. The Tigers barely outrebounded the Crimson Tide, 30-26.

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