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Men's Basketball
Alabama Falls To Vanderbilt 71-63
Photo Credit: RollTide.com/Robert Sutton
The Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team dropped its 12th game out of the last 13 games at Vanderbilt's Memorial Gymnasium yesterday 71-63. Bama slipped to 10-6, 1-3 SEC after shooting just 32 percent on both free throws and three-pointers. Vandy improved to 10-7, 2-3 SEC.
Junior forward SHANNON HALE led the team with 13 points, followed by ARTHUR EDWARDS with 12 and RETIN OBASOHAN with 10 to complete double-digit scoring. JIMMIE TAYLOR contributed eight points on the night, RILEY NORRIS with six, JUSTIN COLEMAN and DONTA HALL had four each, and BRANDON AUSTIN and MICHAEL KESSENS contributing three each.
Head men's basketball coach AVERY JOHNSON said, "I thought the first 10 minutes of the second half was once again our downfall. That's been our Achilles heel throughout the season, even in games we've won. I thought our last game against South Carolina, we put together two solid halve, but couldn't do that tonight. Vanderbilt is a well-coached team and they have some very talented players. We just couldn't sustain a consistent effort throughout the game."
Alabama did win on the boards against Vanderbilt, 39-29, making this the first contest the Tide has lost when out-rebounding the competition. Vandy was 22-of-36 at the free throw line while Bama was just 7-of-20.
Taylor led the team with nine rebounds, followed by Obasohan with seven and Hall with six. Taylor also led the team with three blocked shots. Kessens and Hall both had one apiece.
Alabama is back on the road on Tuesday on the Plains to battle in-state rival Auburn. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network beginning at 8 p.m. CT.
Photo Credit: RollTide.com/Robert Sutton
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Women's Tennis Takes Five On Saturday
Day two of the Wildcat Duals in Evanston, Illinois yesterday saw the Alabama women's tennis team walk away with four single wins and another in doubles to end Saturday with five victories. The event is hosted by Northwestern University.
The only Bama doubles win came via the duo of sophomore BENNETT DUNN and JOANNA NENA SAWA 6-1 over DePaul's Zaina Sufi and Jarret Fisher.
Picking up singles wins were ANDIE DANIELL, senior NATALIA MAYNETTO Dunn and Sawa.
The third and final day of play begins at 9 a.m. CT this morning.
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Jonathan Allen, Reuben Foster, O.J. Howard & Adam Griffith Set To Return To Alabama Next Season
Photo taken from Bing.com
It appears four Bama stars are returning to play football for the Crimson Tide in 2016. They are defensive lineman JONATHAN ALLEN, linebacker REUBEN FOSTER, tight end O.J. HOWARD and kicker ADAM GRIFFITH will all return to play football for the Tide for the 2016 season.
Bama's second-leading tackler for the 2015 season, Foster had 73 tackles, 48 of which were solo, along with a sack and eight tackles for a loss. Allen was the team leader in tackles for a loss this past season with 14.5, as well as 12 sacks and two forced fumbles. Both of these returnees will once again make the Tide's defensive front seven one of the best in the nation in 2016.
On the offensive side of the ball, Howard was Alabama's third-leading receiver in 2015. He had 602 yards and two touchdowns this past season. Though during the season the game totals were lower, he had a huge national championship game against Clemson with 208 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
On special teams, Griffith announced last night that he will return for a fifth year to the University of Alabama.
Decided to stay and play my 5th year at Alabama. Let's make this one count. Hopefully another championship.. Roll Tide!
— Adam Griffith (@adamgriffith99) January 17, 2016
It was a slow start to the 2015 season for Griffith, missing four of his first five field goals. In the last game of the regular season, Griffith nailed five field goals in the win over in-state rival Auburn. In all, he was 9-of-11 for the year.
Perhaps his biggest kick of the season didn't go through the uprights. In fact, he wasn't aiming for the uprights. Griffiths picture-perfect on-side kick in the 45-40 victory over Clemson in the National Championship is generally credited with being the turning point in the game.
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Tide Track & Field Takes Three Wins
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
The first weekend is over for the 2016 indoor track and field season, and the Alabama team opened with victory in three events. The men's 69-meter hurdles was won by Tide junior ANGELO GOSS. In the women's 60-meters QUANESHA BURKS brought home the win. Bama's women also won the 4x400 meter title.
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Women's Basketball Hosts Georgia Today
The Alabama Crimson Tide women's basketball team (12-5, 1-3 SEC) plays host to the Georgia Bulldogs (13-4, 1-3 SEC) this afternoon at Foster Auditorium in Southeastern Conference action. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network with a 4 p.m. CT tip off.
This will be the 48th meeting between the Tide and Bulldogs, with Georgia holding a 37-10 lead including the last 24 of 25 games. Alabama won the last contest in Tuscaloosa 69-66 in January 2014.
Also, quoting from RollTide.com:
"The Southeastern Conference in cooperation with its 14-member
institutions has once again organized the “We Back Pat” Week. The
week-long initiative is focused on bringing awareness and recognition to
The Pat Summitt Foundation, a fund of East Tennessee Foundation, and
its fight against Alzheimer’s disease. SEC member institutions will
support The Pat Summitt Foundation during their home basketball games,
January 17-25. During the women’s games slated for the week, various
efforts will be made to increase awareness of The Pat Summitt
Foundation. The Pat Summitt Foundation was launched November 27, 2011 by
Pat & Tyler Summitt after her diagnosis of early onset dementia,
Alzheimer’s type at the age of 59."
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Crimson Tide Gymnastics Faces Auburn Today
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
The sixth-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide gymnastics team is back in action today in the second-annual Elevate the Stage meet. Bama meets the seventh-ranked Auburn Tigers today at 3 p.m. CT.
This will be Alabama's third meet in eight days, having faced UCLA last Sunday and then defeating 14th-ranked Missouri this past Friday. The Tide spent Saturday afternoon training on the podium in the BJCC's Legacy arena in anticipation of today's contest.
Bama won the first Elevate the Stage meet with Auburn last March. Alabama ended up fourth at the end of the year with Auburn right behind at sixth.
All four apparatus will be on a raised platform known as the podium. The competitors also will be spotlighted.
The Tide is 1-0-0 overall and 1-0-0 in the SEC while Auburn is 2-0-0 overall and 1-0-0 in the SEC.
