Bama Women's Basketball Beats Auburn
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Takes 63-61 Overtime Win
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| Photo Credit: UA Athletics |
University of Alabama women's head basketball coach Kristy Curry said, "That was just flat out toughness and character. In every huddle I loved our leadership. I thought some of our kids really grew up in front of us [last night] with their leadership qualities. And Hannah Cook. What can you say? To have a double-double rebounding the ball 13 times and to make a play there at the end was fitting for the night."
Bama hauled in 56 rebounds as opposed to 36 for the Tigers. The Tide's 56 was an Auburn Arena record for rebounds in a single game. Bama also took 23 free throws as compared to 10 for the Tigers.
Cook led the Crimson Tide in both scoring and rebounds with 15 points and 13 rebounds. She was joined in double figures by juniors Quanetria Bolton (13) and Meoshonti Knight (10) and freshman Jordan Lewis (12). Freshman Ashley Knight added another five blocks to bring her season total to 64. It puts her into the No. 2 spot on UA's single-season list. She's now four away from tying Yolanda Watkins at 68 for the record.
Curry commented, "Just play after play after play, if we made a mistake we were able to play the next play, Throughout the course of the game, we rebounded the heck out of it. We turned it over and had some unforced errors, but at the end of the day, we made enough plays to stay in it and made enough free throws."
Alabama heads to Athens, Georgia to take on the Georgia Lady Bulldogs in Stegman Coliseum on Thursday, February 23rd. Game time is set for 6 p.m. CT.
| Game Stats | UA | AU |
|---|---|---|
| FG% | .333 | .333 |
| 3FG% | .263 | .143 |
| FT% | .783 | .800 |
| RB | 56 | 36 |
| TO | 24 | 12 |
| STL | 7 | 10 |
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Nick Saban Announces Brian Daboll
As Offensive Coordinator & Quarterbacks Coach
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| New Alabama Offensive Coordinator & Quarterbacks Coach Brian Daboll Patriots Photo |
Daboll replaces Steve Sarkisian, who left for the same position with the Atlanta Falcons who replaced Lane Kiffin who became the head coach at FAU.
"We are certainly happy to add a coach the caliber of Brian Daboll to our staff," Saban said in a prepared statement. "I have known Brian since he worked for us as a GA at Michigan State and he has a fantastic reputation in the coaching profession. He brings a tremendous work ethic to the job and has a wealth of football knowledge. Brian is a great teacher of the game, and someone who can relate well to our players. We are excited to welcome Brian, his wife Beth and their family to Tuscaloosa."
Daboll comes to Tuscaloosa after spending 17 years in the National Football League, and the past three seasons with the New England Patriots. Daboll was key in assisting the Pats capture their fifth Super Bowl title. He coached tight ends for two seasons and offensive line for one in his second stint with the Patriots. He spent a total of 10 seasons in New England and assisted the team in winning each of those five titles.
Daboll commented in a statement, "I am honored to have the chance to return to the college game and work for Coach Saban at Alabama. He basically gave me my start in coaching as a graduate assistant at Michigan State in the late 1990s and has always been a very important influence on my coaching career. It is a tremendous opportunity to work at an institution such as Alabama with its rich tradition and history of sustained success, and I’m very excited to get started."
The 41 year old Daboll was born in Welland, Ontario, but attended high school in New York. He was a football letterman in high school and became a two-year starter in college for the University of Rochester.
Daboll and his wife Beth have five children, Marky, Christian, Aiden, Haven and Avery.
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Bama Gymnastics Ranked Fourth This Week
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| Photo Credit: UA Athletics |
The regional qualifying score (RQS) is determined by taking a team's top three road scores, its next three highest home or away scores, dropping the high score and averaging the remaining five. Bama's initial RQS of the season is 197.085. Alabama is one of four schools in the nation with a 197-plus RQS this week.
Prior to this week, the ranking have been based on season average. There was no change in the top three schools due to a change in ranking formula. The Oklahoma Sooners, LSU Tigers and Florida Gators remain one, two and three in the rankings, followed by the Alabama Crimson Tide at No. 4, Utah (5), UCLA (6), Georgia(7), Denver (8), Michigan (9) and Oregon State (10).
The Kentucky Wildcats are No. 11. There are four Southeastern Conference schools in the top 10 and five in the top 11. Alabama has faced four of the top 10, including Nos. 1-3, and is slated to face two more members of the top 12 (No. 7 Georgia and No. 12 Boise State) over the next two weeks.
The Crimson Tide is ranked in the top five in all four events, standing third on the balance beam and floor exercise and fifth on the vault and uneven bars.
Bama junior Kiana Winston is currently ranked fifth in the all-around, third on the floor exercise and sixth on the balance beam. Junior Nickie Guerrero is fourth on the balance beam, senior Aja Sims comes in at No. 10 on the floor exercise, senior Katie Bailey is 15th on the vault and uneven bars and senior Amanda Jetter is 23rd on the uneven bars.
The Crimson Tide will host No. 12 Boise State this Friday, February 24th at 7:30 p.m.
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Celebrity Birthdays
February 21, 2017
Kelsey Grammer, Actor, 61
Corbin Bleu, Actor, 27
Alan Rickman, Actor (1946-2016)
Sophie Turner, Actress, 20
Ashley Greene, Actress, 29
Ellen Page, Actress, 29
Jennifer Love Hewitt, Actress, 37
Ashley Costello, Singer, 31
Riyad Mahrez, Soccer player, 25
Carl Frampton, Boxer, 29
Jordan Peele, Comedian, 37
Michael McIntyre, Comedian, 40
Jesus Oviedo, Singer, 17
Kristen Herrera, Actress, 27
Hayley Orrantia, actress, 22
Anthony Daniels, actor, 70
Scout Taylor-Compton, Actress, 27
Amarr M. Wooten, Actor, 15
Brodus Clay, Wrestler, 43
Burgess Abernethy, Actor, 29
Isabella Acres, Actress, 15
Tanner Stine, Actor, 21
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Saban Officially Announces Hiring Of Joe Pannunzio
As Tight Ends Coach & Special Teams Coordinator
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| Joe Pannunzio Alabama tight ends & special teams coordinator Photo Credit: UA Athletics |
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama — Alabama head football coach Nick Saban made it official on Monday concerning the hiring of Joe Pannunzio as its tight ends coach and special teams coordinator.
Nick Saban said, "I am very pleased that we were able to bring Joe back to our staff. He does an excellent job coaching special teams and tight ends, a role I know he truly enjoys. He is a great fit in our organization and I think our players will respond well to his positive attitude and energy. We are excited to welcome Joe and his wife Rita back to the University of Alabama."
Pannunzio brings more than 30 years of coaching experience back to Tuscaloosa after spending the director of personnel for the Philadelphia Eagles the past two years. He had previously served as the Crimson Tide’s director of football operations from 2011 to 2014.
Pannunzio said, "I am excited to have the chance to return to The University of Alabama and once again work for Coach Saban. I have always loved working with the special teams and tight ends and the chance to do it for the best coach and the best program in college football is a very special opportunity. My family and I love Tuscaloosa, and I can’t wait to get back out on the field coaching."
Pannunzio will be coaching special teams and tight ends which gives co-offensive coordinator Mike Locksley the ability to devote his time to coach Alabama’s wide receivers. Brent Key will handle coaching Alabama’s offensive line, while Burton Burns will focus entirely on Bama's running backs.
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Bama Baseball Rescheduled For Wednesday
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| Photo Credit: UA Athletics |
Game time, however, will remain scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.
This will be the 104th meeting between the two schools, with the Crimson Tide holding a 72-31 advantage in the series. Bama leads 45-13 mark at home.
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Alabama Track & Field Teams Ranked 9th
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| Photo Credit: UA Athletics |
Seven Southeastern Conference men's teams are ranked, including four of the top-five. Florida is ranked No. 1, Arkansas is No. 2, Georgia is No. 4, Texas A&M is No. 5, LSU is No. 8, Alabama is No. 9 and Tennessee is No. 12. No other conference has more than five men's teams ranked in the top-25.
Eight SEC women's teams are ranked in the top-25, including seven of the top-11. Arkansas is No. 2, Georgia is No. 3, LSU is No. 4, Kentucky is No. 6, Alabama is No. 9, Texas A&M is No. 10, Florida is No. 11 and Ole Miss is No. 13. No other conference has more than six women's teams ranked in the top-25.
The 2017 SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships will take place this coming Friday and Saturday and will be held in Nashville, Tennessee.
Men's Indoor Track and Field National Team Computer Rankings
1. Florida*
2. Arkansas*
3. Oregon
4. Georgia*
5. Texas A&M*
6. Kansas
7. Colorado
8. LSU*
9. Alabama*
10. Indiana
11. Colorado
12. Tennessee*
13. UTEP
14. Texas
15. Virginia
16. Texas Tech
17. Southern California*
18. Iowa
19. Washington
20. Oklahoma State
21. Virginia Tech
22. Stanford
23. Southern Illinois
24. Houston
25. Syracuse
Women's Indoor Track and Field National Team Computer Rankings
1. Oregon
2. Arkansas*
3. Georgia*
4. LSU*
5. Southern California
6. Kentucky*
7. Baylor
8. Texas
9. Alabama*
10. Texas A&M*
11. Florida*
12. Kansas State
13. Ole Miss*
14. Penn State
15. Miami (Fla.)
16. Indiana
17. BYU
18. Michigan
19. Furman
20. Arizona
21. Purdue
22. Colorado
23. Stanford
24. Illinois
25. Villanova
* SEC Team
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AP Top-25 College Basketball Poll
Only two teams from the Southeastern Conference show up in the latest Associated Press Top-25 College Basketball Rankings. The Kentucky Wildcats are the highest ranked SEC team, coming in at No. 11, up two slots from the previous week. The Florida Gators come in at No. 13, also advancing two slots from last week.
Here is a look at the AP Top-25 basketball teams in the country:
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | PV Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gonzaga (59) | 28-0 | 1,618 | 1 |
| 2 | Villanova (5) | 26-2 | 1,556 | 2 |
| 3 | Kansas (1) | 24-3 | 1,503 | 3 |
| 4 | Arizona | 25-3 | 1,356 | 5 |
| 5 | UCLA | 24-3 | 1,316 | 6 |
| 6 | Oregon | 24-4 | 1,297 | 7 |
| 7 | Louisville | 22-5 | 1,267 | 8 |
| 8 | North Carolina | 23-5 | 1,138 | 10 |
| 9 | Baylor | 22-5 | 1,108 | 4 |
| 10 | Duke | 22-5 | 1,014 | 12 |
| 11 | Kentucky* | 22-5 | 943 | 13 |
| 12 | West Virginia | 21-6 | 908 | 9 |
| 13 | Florida* | 22-5 | 822 | 15 |
| 14 | Purdue | 22-5 | 807 | 16 |
| 15 | Cincinnati | 24-3 | 733 | 18 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | 22-5 | 713 | 11 |
| 17 | SMU | 24-4 | 554 | 19 |
| 18 | Virginia | 18-8 | 427 | 14 |
| 19 | Florida State | 21-6 | 419 | 17 |
| 20 | Saint Mary's (Cal.) | 24-3 | 375 | 22 |
| 21 | Notre Dame | 21-7 | 322 | 25 |
| 22 | Butler | 21-6 | 295 | 24 |
| 23 | Creighton | 22-5 | 178 | 20 |
| 24 | Maryland | 22-5 | 159 | 23 |
| 25 | Wichita State | 25-4 | 153 | - |
