Friday, January 15, 2016

Women's Basketball Falls 72-59 To Auburn; Bama Women's Tennis In Wildcat Duals; Bama Gymnastics Hosts Missouri; Derrick Henry To Declare For NFL Draft; UA Hires Petitto Away From Georgia


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Women's Basketball Falls 72-59 To Auburn

Photo Credit: RollTide.com


Alabama came up short last night, though the effort was there. The University of Alabama women's basketball team (12-5, 1-3 SEC) fell to the Auburn Tigers (12-5, 2-2 SEC) Thursday night 72-59 in Auburn Arena. At one point the Lady Tide trailed by as many as 20 points, but were never able to cut that any closer than six. 

Alabama head coach KRISTY CURRY said, "You've got to find a way to make shots, and I thought we missed an awful lot. Especially in the second quarter, that really hurt us. I thought we got a lot of wide-open looks. You've just got to come out and make shots."

Alabama junior HANNAH COOK finished the night with her second double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Right behind her were sophomore MEOSHONTI KNIGHT and freshman SHAQUERA WADE with nine points each.

The Tide shot 36.5 percent (19-52) on the night, while Auburn shot 45.8 percent (27-59) from the floor. Bama was out-rebounded for the evening 39-25.

Curry said, "We're 8-for-27 from three, and we don't want to shoot 27 threes I can promise you.We'll go back and work a little bit on shot selection and make sure we've got the right people shooting those, and we've got to get more to the paint. We can't pick and choose the nights we play. We all have be on the same page night in and night out because of the power of this league and the depth of this league."

The Crimson Tide will host the Georgia Bulldogs on Sunday in Foster Auditorium. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network, and is scheduled for a 4 p.m. CT tip off.



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Bama Women's Tennis In Wildcat Duals


Photo Credit: RollTide.com


The 15th-ranked Alabama women's tennis team opens the spring portion of its schedule today at the Wildcat Duals in Evanston, Illinois. The three-day event is hosted by Northwestern University and will run through this Sunday.

The Tide will meet host Northwestern this afternoon at 3:30 p.m. CT. On Saturday Bama and DePaul will play at 3 p.m. CT and finish on Sunday with TCU at 9 a.m. CT.

The Crimson Tide has been chosen to finish fifth in the SEC by a vote of the conference head coach earlier this week.  

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Bama Gymnastics Hosts Missouri

Photo Credit: RollTide.com


The sixth-ranked Alabama gymnastics team hosts the 14th-ranked Missouri Tigers later this afternoon in Coleman Coliseum in both the Tide's home and SEC opener.

Alabama head coach DANA DUCKWORTH said, "We can't wait to be out there for our home and SEC opener in front of the best fans in the world. Now that we have our start, we've been working hard this week to keep moving forward."

The first even is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT following introductions scheduled 15 minutes earlier. The even can be viewed live on the SEC Network.

"We're excited to get into SEC competition on Friday," stated Duckworth. "There are no nights off in the SEC, so you have to be prepared and you have to be sharp every time out. We will focus on Alabama and the things we need to do to be successful and continue to hone in on that mental toughness that will be the difference-maker in the end."

The Tide is ranked in the top six on the uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise while coming in 21st on the vault.

Today is the Crimson Tide's Salute to Service Meet. All members of the military will receive free admission with valid ID and their families can purchase tickets for just $3 each.


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Derrick Henry To Declare For NFL Draft


Graphic/Photo Credit: RollTide.com


Joe Schad of ESPN was the first to report yesterday that Alabama Heisman Trophy winner and star running back DERRICK HENRY will enter the NFL, forgoing his final year of eligibility. It really comes as no surprise.

Henry has set numerous new records at the University of Alabama, including carrying the ball a total of  395 times this season, 58 more than any other college player and 68 times more than any NFL running back.

ESPN is reporting that Henry is "generally regarded as the No. 2" running back for the NFL Draft, only listed behind Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott. He, as well as other running back prospects, will likely not go until at least the second round.


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UA Hires Petitto Away From Georgia


Sam Petitto
Photo: Bing.com


Numerous reports surfaced yesterday that Alabama head coach NICK SABAN has snatched a Georgia/Kirby Smart staffer. Reportedly UA has hired Georgia's director of player personnel, SAM PETITTO, to fill an as-yet undisclosed position with the Alabama Athletic Department, more specially to do with the football side of things.

Petitto is no stranger to Alabama football, having served under Saban as defensive intern in 2008. Petitto, a Louisiana native, has also served in various capacities at North Carolina, Grambling State and Southeastern Louisiana University after first serving as a high school coach in his native state.