Women's Basketball Faces Virginia in Paradise Jam
11/25/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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GAME NOTES | LIVE STATS
ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands - The Crimson Tide women's basketball team (1-1), coming off an impressive 77-71 win over Santa Clara on Monday night, will look to make it two-straight in the opening round of the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas of the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Tide will face traditional ACC power Virginia (2-0) in its first game, to be played on Friday, Nov. 25, at noon central.
The team had a short time to celebrate the first win of the season and of the Stephany Smith era on Monday night, as the squad departed Tuscaloosa at 4:45 a.m., approximately six hours after winning its first game of the year. After a layover in Charlotte, the Tide landed in St. Thomas at about 4:00 p.m. central time.
Virginia, undefeated in two outings in 2005, is led by head coach Debbie Ryan, who is in her 29th year at UVA. The legendary head coach has 21 NCAA Tournaments and three Final Fours to her credit to go with over 600 career victories, one of only 11 coaches in the nation to reach that plateau.
The Cavaliers have four players who average in double figures in 2005-06, led by sophomore guard Takisha Granberry, who averages 15 points per game. Senior Tiffany Sardin is averaging double figures in rebounding, pulling down an even 10 boards per game.
The Tide will look to match with the impressive efforts of its post players, led by junior Lauren Hill. Hill is averaging 18.5 points per game, including the second 20-point performance of her career, which she posted against Santa Clara. Hill has led her team in scoring in both of its regular season contests after averaging 13 points per game while shooting over 73 percent from the field in the preseason.
The Tide-Cavalier match-up can be heard on the Crimson Tide Sports Network, with David Crane calling the action. A televised broadcast of the Virginia game, and the Tide's second-round opponent, is available on the internet via the College Sports Direct web site, http://www.collegesportsdirect.com, on a pay-per-view basis.
If Alabama wins its game against Virginia, the Tide will play in the championship game of the St. Thomas bracket on Saturday, Nov. 26, at 2:30 central time. Otherwise, Alabama will compete in the consolation game at noon central on Saturday. The Tide-Cavalier winner will face the winner of the other half of the bracket, Minnesota or Nevada, in the championship game, with the losers of both games to square-off in the consolation match up.
