Women's Basketball Continues on the Road in Tennessee
11/27/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama women's basketball team (1-4) will head to Tennessee for two games this week. The Tide will open the road trip against Belmont (2-5) on Wednesday, November 28 and then head to Tennessee Tech (1-2) for a Friday night matchup. Both games are slated for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
Alabama is coming off its first victory of the season. The Tide snapped a 19-game losing streak by beating Washington State 66-37 in the consolation game of the Junkanoo Jam. The Tide shot 56 percent (30-for-54) for the game while the Cougars only mustered a 25 percent (13-for-53) mark. Up 18-16 after a defensive first half the Tide awoke for its best half of the season. Alabama out-scored Washington State 48-21 in the period. Tied at 22 with 17:36 left, UA ran off a 26-5 run to secure its first win of the season.
In the first half, the Tide put on one of its best defensive displays of the season. With constant pressure, the stingy Alabama defense only allowed 16 points on five field goals. WSU shot 20 percent (5-for-25) in the half while UA shot 39 percent (9-for-23).
Freshman Tierney Jenkins led the way with a career-high 21 points on 10-for-13 shooting. For her effort, Jenkins was named to the All-Tournament Team after averaging 18.5 points per game, shooting 17-for-23 for a 74 percent clip. Jenkins also led the Tide in the Junkanoo opener with 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting. On top of the scoring, Jenkins recorded six steals and three blocks in the win over WSU and also added a combined 10 boards in the two games.
The Belmont Bruins are set to host the Tide with a 2-5 record and are coming off two-straight losses in the Vandy Thanksgiving Tournament. The Bruins fell to host No. 19 Vanderbilt 104-43 and then dropped the finale to Michigan 80-43. Last season the Bruins sported a 25-7 overall record and made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament under head coach Tony Cross.
As a team, Belmont is shooting 34 percent while opponents are amassing a 42 percent clip. The Bruins average 54 points a game an allow 72. Alabama has been out-scoring its opposition 51-50 as the Tide defense has carried the load for head coach Stephany Smith.
Since the opener against Tulane, Alabama has not allowed an opponent to shoot over 40 percent and reach over 55 points. Against Arkansas State and Washington State, Alabama held the two teams under 30 percent shooting.
UA is ranked second in the SEC in scoring defense, only allowing 50 points per game. The Tide is also ranked third in field goal defense, allowing a 33 percent clip per contest. On the glass, Alabama leads the conference in rebounding defense with 31 a game and is second in rebounding margin with a +10.6 mark.
After the Tide close out the road trip with Tennessee Tech it will return home to the friendly confines of Coleman Coliseum for two-straight home games. Alabama will host Louisiana Tech on Dec. 5 at 6 p.m. and then play Saint Mary's on Dec. 9 at 1 p.m.
