___________________________________________________________________________
Bama Men's Basketball Hosts Missouri This Afternoon
Coach Avery Johnson
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
The Alabama men's basketball team hosts the Missouri Tigers today at 2 p.m. CT at Coleman Coliseum as the Crimson-clad Tide begin a two-game homestand. This is the only meeting between the two teams during the regular season.
Today's contest has been officially declared a sellout, making this the third sellout in Coleman Coliseum this years. The first two were with the Kentucky Wildcats and the LSU Tigers. Alabama head coach AVERY JOHNSON has stepped up the "marketing campaign," selling his Tide basketballers as the group to watch this season and telling the fans to "buckle up." In only his first season, Johnson has hosted three sellouts averaging 12,789 fans per game, ranking fourth in the Southeastern Conference. This also is the highest single-season per game attendance in Alabama basketball history thus far. It should be noted that the February 27th game with the Auburn Tigers has also been designated as a sellout.
This afternoon's meeting between the Tide and Tigers will be only the tenth in series history, the fewest number of games against any SEC opponent. Bama has two consecutive wins over Mizzou, and is 3-0 against the Tigers in Coleman Coliseum.
This afternoon's contest will air on the SEC Network with Tom Hart handling play-by-play and Andrew DeClerq handling color commentary. The game is also available on the Crimson Tide Sports Network with Chris Stewart and Bryan Passink on the call.
--------------------------------------------------
Power Of Pink Meet
Crimson Tide Gymnasts Defeat Kentucky
Photo Credit: RollTide.com/Amelia B. Barton
The fourth-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide gymnastics team defeated the No. 25 Kentucky Wildcats 196.775-195.425 yesterday in the 12th annual Power of Pink meet. The 12th-largest crowd in Crimson Tide history, 14,870 fans, was on hand at Coleman Coliseum to enjoy the victory.
Bama head coach DANA DUCKWORTH commented, "So our fight was evident tonight. That was our word of the week and I think it came in very handy."
Former Alabama gymnastics coach SARAH PATTERSON began the the Power of Pink initiative in order to bring awareness to the fight against breast cancer. Since then, other schools have also taken up the cause.
Tide gymnasts are really high on the event and cause. In fact, breast cancer survivors were brought to center court is a proud display of the human spirit over the terrible disease.
Junior KATIE BAILEY said, I think it was really cool that before the meet, before we stood on the A with the survivors, we got thirty seconds to chat with them before we started the meet. In those thirty seconds I had with my survivor Erika (Jones), I felt like we had a connection. Just the little bit of time we had, she shared with me what she had gone through. Everything we did tonight was for people just like her."
Winning the all-around yesterday was Ms. Baily with a season best score of 39.475. LAUREN BEERS took the win in the vault, sophomore MACKENZIE BRANNON won the bars, junior KEELY McNEER tied with Bailey on the balance beam and then juniors AJA SIMS, MACKENZIE VALENTIN and Bailey took the floor exercise.
Dana Duckworth Recognizes Breast Cancer Survivors
Photo Credit: RollTide.com/Amelia B. Barton
--------------------------------------------------
Four Bama Sprinters Advance To Semifinal Today
The University of Alabama women's track team advanced three to today's semifinal in the 60 meters while the men sent one to the same event in the New Mexico Classic & Multis held yesterday. The even is hosted by the University of New Mexico at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
The three women advancing today for Bama are sophomore OLIVIA FOTOPOULOU, junior VANESSA CLERVEAUX and junior DIAMOND GAUSE. For the men's team it is freshman sprinter KENDALL SHEFFIELD advancing.
--------------------------------------------------
Men's Tennis Falls To No. 5 Oklahoma
The Alabama men's tennis team lost a three-hour contest yesterday to the fifth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners 5-2 at the Roberta Alison Baumgardner Tennis Facility. Alabama is now 5-3 on the season, with Oklahoma improving to 3-1.
Bama assistant coach RYLER DEHART said, "This was a really fun match. I was really proud of the way our guys competed, the way they fought
and our energy. It was a very spirited match. I'm disappointed we didn't
get a win, but I was really proud of the way that they fought, and I
thought we were right in there. It was closer than the score indicated."
The Crimson Tide hosts a double-header on Sunday beginning at 1 p.m. CT. Troy and Lipscomb will come a-callin'.
