Women's Basketball hits the road to take on MTSU
12/13/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 13, 2008
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The women's basketball team will pack its bags and travel to Murfreesboro, Tenn. for a matchup with Middle Tennessee State on Sunday, Dec. 14 at 4:00 p.m. (CST). The game will be broadcast on CSS. The Crimson Tide is currently on a three-game winning streak with an overall record of 6-2, while the Blue Raiders sit at 5-4 on the season.
"A lot of focus was put on finals this week, but I am proud of the way this team was able to get back in the gym and be ready to compete mentally," said head coach Wendell Hudson. "You can really tell they are ready to get back into basketball. We've had a couple a good practices, and we are looking forward to Sunday's game against Middle Tennessee."
Alabama and Middle Tennessee State:
Today's contest marks the ninth meeting between the Crimson Tide and Blue Raiders. Alabama currently owns the 7-1 series advantage. The last time the two teams met up was just over four years ago in Tuscaloosa where the Tide won 80-66 on Nov. 22, 2004. Below is a complete listing of all games between Alabama and Middle Tennessee State.
| Nov. 22, 2004 | Alabama 80, Middle Tennessee State 66 | Tuscaloosa, Ala. |
| Jan. 8, 2004 | Middle Tennessee State 65, Alabama 61 (OT) | Murfreesboro, Tenn. |
| Dec. 17, 1995 | Alabama 68, Middle Tennessee State 53 | Murfreesboro, Tenn. |
| Dec. 19, 1994 | Alabama 99, Middle Tennessee State 70 | Tuscaloosa, Ala. |
| Dec. 7, 1991 | Alabama 101, Middle Tennessee State 69 | Murfreesboro, Tenn. |
| Feb. 8, 1988 | Alabama 97, Middle Tennessee State 58 | Tuscaloosa, Ala. |
| Dec. 4, 1978 | Alabama 90, Middle Tennessee State 84 | Tuscaloosa, Ala. |
| Dec. 3, 1977 | Alabama 75, Middle Tennessee State 69 | Murfreesboro, Tenn. |
Scouting Middle Tennessee State:
The Blue Raiders are led on offense by junior forward Alysha Clark who averages 22.7 points per game while shooting better than 53 percent from the floor. Middle Tennessee State also has a solid three-point weapon in sophomore guard Anne Marie Lanning. Lanning is 47.4 percent from beyond the arc where she has taken more than 75 percent of her shots thus far this season. Clark has been big on the boards for the Blue Raiders as well with an average of 8.3 per game.
Last time out, Middle Tennessee fell to Tennessee 81-52 in Knoxville, Tenn. Clark scored a game-high 28 points while pulling down a game-best eight rebounds. As a team, the Blue Raiders shot 41.2 percent from the floor.
Alabama and the Sun Belt Conference:
In Alabama's all-time history it has had a total of 66 meetings with Sun Belt institutions including Arkansas State, Florida International, Middle Tennessee State, South Alabama, Troy and Western Kentucky. The Tide has a commanding 50-16 series advantage over Sun Belt institutions. Below is the breakdown between Alabama and its Sun Belt opponents.
ARKANSAS STATE - five meetings
Alabama leads series 3-2
Last meeting: Nov. 18, 2007 - Arkansas State 49, Alabama 45 (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL - two meetings
Series split 1-1
Last meeting: Jan. 3, 2005 - Alabama 60, Florida International 54 (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE - eight meetings
Alabama leads series 7-1
Last meeting: Nov. 22, 2004 - Alabama 80, Middle Tennessee State 66 (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
SOUTH ALABAMA - 25 meetings
Alabama leads series 21-4
Last meeting: Dec. 30, 2005 - South Alabama 56, Alabama 48 (Mobile, Ala.)
TROY - 18 meetings
Alabama leads series 15-3
Last meeting: Nov. 20, 2001 - Alabama 101, Troy 58 (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
WESTERN KENTUCKY - eight meetings
Western Kentucky leads series 5-3
Last meeting: Dec. 28, 1995 - Alabama 70, Western Kentucky 64 (Nassau, Bahamas)
Who to Watch:
Sophomore Tierney Jenkins continues to lead the Tide in points with an average of 10.0 per game in Coach Hudson's balanced offensive group. She also is tied for No. 1 on the team in rebounds per game with 6.4 a game. In Alabama's win over Sam Houston State, Jenkins led all scorers for the fourth time this season with 13 points and picked up seven rebounds. Also, keep an eye on sophomore Daleisha Carn. She may not produce huge scoring numbers, but this guard was big in all other facets for the Tide last time out. Carn was just three rebounds shy of a triple-double as she finished the game with 13 assists, 10 points and seven rebounds in just 18 minutes of play.
Last Time Out:
Alabama defeated Sam Houston State 90-50 Sunday, Dec. 7 at Coleman Coliseum marking the first time the Crimson Tide had reached 90 points since Dec. 2, 2006 against Savannah State. Sophomore guard Daleisha Carn was three rebounds shy of a triple double with 13 assists, 10 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore forward Tierney Jenkins led all scorers with 13 points and pulled down seven boards. Alabama had a shooting percentage of above 45 percent from the field in both halves and finished the game at a 45.6 percent clip. The Tide held Sam Houston State to 26.7 percent from the field for the game and 21.7 percent from behind the three-point line.
Alabama Nearing 600th win:
Alabama is just five wins away from its 600th victory in program history. The Tide's overall record currently stands at 595-414. Alabama hit the 500-win mark on Jan. 28, 2001 with a 67-64 win over Ole Miss.
Lucky Number 13:
Junior Courtney Strauthers collected a career-high 13 points in Alabama's win over UCF on Dec. 3. That same night, sophomore Daleisha Carn pulled down a career-best 13 rebounds. In the Tide's next game against Sam Houston State, Carn dished out a career-high 13 assists.
Equal Opportunity Scorers:
In Alabama's eight games, four different players have led the Tide in scoring. Sophomore Tierney Jenkins has been Alabama's leading scorer three times, while sophomore Alyson Butler and freshman Ericka Russell have topped the Tide twice each. Sophomore Katie Hancock has led in point production once.
Strauthers Hitting Better than .500 for Career:
Junior Courtney Strauthers is currently averaging 53.8 percent from the floor for her career. She finished her freshman season at 51.3 percent followed by her sophomore year at 56.8 percent. She is 25-48 on the season thus far for a 52.1 clip.
Ericka Russell Voted to the Nugget Classic All-Tournament Team:
Alabama freshman Ericka Russell was one of six players named to the Nugget Classic All-Tournament Team. The squad was voted on by the four participating coaches. She finished the two-game Classic with 24 points, eight rebounds, two steals and two assists.
Put me in Coach, I'm Ready to Play:
In Alabama's games, a total of 14 players have seen court time. Ten of those 14 players are averaging 10 minutes or more. Junior Dedrea Magee leads the way with 23.3 minutes per outing.
`Bama on the Boards:
The Tide has been dominant on the boards out-rebounding its opponents by an average of 8.6 per game while collecting a total of 49.2 per contest. In Alabama's contest with Samford, the Tide held the Bulldogs to zero offensive rebounds over the first 28:04.
I'll Take my Bench over your Bench:
Alabama's bench scoring has accounted for an average of 37.8 points per game this season and 302 points overall. That is over half of the Tide's total point output thus far. Below is a list of how many points the bench has produced in each game:
Nov. 14, 2008 vs. Centenary - 28 points
Nov. 18, 2008 vs. Samford - 24 points
Nov. 22, 2008 at Hampton - 35 points
Nov. 25, 2008 vs. Alabama State - 52 points
Nov. 28, 2008 vs. Louisville - 43 points
Nov. 29, 2008 vs. Northern Iowa - 38 points
Dec. 3, 2008 vs. UCF - 36 points
Dec. 7, 2008 vs. Sam Houston State - 46 points
60 is the Magic Number:
In both of Alabama's losses, the Tide has failed to reach the 60-point mark, but in all six of its wins has eclipsed that mark. Alabama is currently averaging 69.0 points per game. The last time the Tide averaged this many, or more, points a game was in the 2001-02 season when it collected 73.7 points per outing.
Tide Welcomes Six Newcomers:
A total of six new players will dawn the crimson and white this season for the women's basketball team. Carmen McCoy, Kayla Robinson, Ericka Russell and Candace Sykes all signed on nearly one year ago, while Danielle Hicks and Candiss Willingham were added as walk-ons.
Fresh Faces on the Sidelines:
Wendell Hudson returns to the sidelines after spending the last six years in administration to head up the Alabama women's basketball team. Hudson, who possesses 26 years of basketball coaching experience, is no stranger to Alabama as he was the first African-American scholarship athlete at the Capstone while playing under C.M. Newton. Joining him will be former Tide standouts Joni Crenshaw and Stacey Franklin along with Ty Evans, who enters his second season as a member of the Alabama staff.
Next up:
Alabama returns home to play Florida A&M at Coleman Coliseum on Wednesday, Dec. 17. Tipoff is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. (CST). This game will serve as the Tide's second annual Fifth Grade Fastbreak game. The early game time affords local fifth grade classes the chance to attend the game within the normal school hours.
