Green Wave Rolling To Alabama for Game on SEC Network+

GAME 9: TULANE GREEN WAVE (7-1) at ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (5-4)
When:	Saturday, December 8 \| 2 p.m. CST
Where:	Tuscaloosa, Ala. \| Coleman Coliseum
Watch:	SEC Network+
Radio:	WRBH 88.3 FM \| Listen Online
Live Scoring:	StatBroadcast
Notes:	Tulane \| Alabama
Social:	@GreenWaveWBB

NEW ORLEANS – Following a three-game home stretch, the Green Wave are finally back on the road for the first time since late November. Tulane will be heading to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Saturday for a battle with Southeastern Conference foe Alabama.

The Crimson Tide and Green Wave are scheduled for a 2 p.m. tipoff with the game aired on the SEC Network+.

STARTING FIVE

Coach Lisa Stockton hit a major milestone on Tuesday against Nicholls, winning her 500th game with the Green Wave. Now in her 25th year leading Tulane, Stockton is averaging 20 wins per season.
Tulane is 7-1 on the season and receiving a vote in the USA Today Coaches Poll following its 25-point over Nicholls. Tulane is at least 7-1 for the 10th time in 44 years of program history and the first time since 2014-15.
Tulane freshmen and sophomores have combined for 67 percent of Green Wave scoring, 64 percent of Tulane minutes and 74 percent of Tulane's assists. Tulane's underclassmen have also contributed 56 percent of the team rebounding.
The Green Wave are incredibly balanced this season, rotating through at least 10 players regularly. Nine players on the roster are averaging at least 4 points per game.
Krystal Freeman earned another weekly honor from The American on Monday when she was named to the league's Honor Roll for the second consecutive week. She is leading the team with 13.6 points per game and has scored in double figures in all but one game this year.

SERIES HISTORY – ALABAMA

Tulane and Alabama are familiar postseason foes from recent years as the teams have matched up in the WNIT for two of the last three seasons.
In 2016, Tulane defeated Alabama to move on to the third round of the WNIT. But in 2017, the Crimson Tide got revenge with a 72-64 third-round victory to end the Green Wave's season.
Overall, the teams have met 12 times with Alabama holding an 8-4 edge in the series. The Tide won the first six meetings between 1982 and 1993 before Tulane won the its first game of the series in 1999.

SCOUTING THE CRIMSON TIDE

The Crimson Tide, based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, are 5-4 this season so far. Alabama started out the year with a 5-1 record but have lost three straight contests to Tulsa, Louisiana Tech and South Alabama.
Jasmine Walker is the team's top scorer, averaging 12.6 points per game. Cierra Johnson joins her in double figures with 12.0 points per game, as does Jordan Lewis (10.5) and Shaquera Wade (10.2).
On the boards, Walker is also leading the charge for Alabama with 7.7 rebounds per contest. Ariyah Copeland is second on the team with 6.2 boards per game.
Wade is the team's top passer with 27 assists so far on the year, and Copeland leads the Tide with 12 blocks.

A QUARTER CENTURY WITH COACH
Now in her 25th year with the Green Wave women's basketball program in 2018-19, it's hard to imagine anyone else at the helm besides Coach Lisa Stockton. Her numbers are staggering: three different conferences, four conference tournament championships, two conference regular-season championships, six All-Americans, 11 NCAA Tournament berths, seven WNIT spots and a boatload of wins. No one in the history of Tulane women's basketball is even close to Stockton's career numbers.

STOCKTON GETS 500
With a victory over Nicholls on Tuesday, Coach Lisa Stockton recorded her 500th victory at Tulane. In her 25 years with the Green Wave, Stockton is averaging 20 wins per season – and rising. She is currently the nation's 10th-longest tenured coach at a D1 school. She has more than eight times as many wins as the second-place coach in program history (Joline Matsunami, 1985-90, 60 wins).

UNDERCLASSMEN OVERPERFORMING
Tulane's roster is seeing a youth movement so far in 2018-19 with underclassmen getting a supermajority of minutes played, points scored and assists. Freshmen and sophomores have combined for 67 percent of Green Wave scoring, 64 percent of Tulane minutes and 74 percent of Tulane's assists. Tulane's underclassmen have also contributed 56 percent of the team rebounding.

RECEIVING A VOTE
Tulane is in the receiving votes category of the USA Today Coaches Poll for the third consecutive week, picking up a single vote to earn its place in the poll once again. Tulane is in the receiving votes category for three consecutive weeks for the first time since Jan. 23-Feb. 6, 2017.

BLOCK PARTY
The Green Wave had one of the best blocking days in program history on Tuesday, blocking 11 Nicholls shots. That number ties for seventh all-time in program history. Senior Harlyn Wyatt – who ranks 10th all-time in team history with 83 blocks – had a career-high six in the game, a number that tied her for ninth all-time in a single game at Tulane. Wyatt needs two more blocks to move up to ninth in program history.

ANDERSON DISHING DIMES
Sophomore Kaila Anderson is having an incredible season passing the ball, leading Tulane with 42 total assists through eight games. She also only has 12 turnovers this year, and that assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.5 ranks second in The American and in the top 20 nationally. Anderson is part of a Tulane team that is averaging 18.1 assists per game, a number that ranks 27th in the nation as of Wednesday morning.

SPREADING THE BALL AROUND
Ten different players saw action for Tulane in the win over Southern Miss, and all 10 of them scored at least 4 points. Twelve players were on the court Tuesday against Nicholls, and nine of them scored at least 4 points. On the 2017-18 roster, only six players averaged at least 4.0 points per game. This season so far, nine players are averaging at least 4.0 points per game.

HOME SWEET HOME
Tulane is 5-0 so far at home in 2018-19 and on a six-game winning streak at Fogelman in Devlin dating back to last year's season finale. Tulane's home winning streak is its first of five or more games since an 11-game home winning streak spanning Feb. 14-Dec. 28, 2016. The Green Wave have never posted a single-season home record below .500 in Lisa Stockton's 24 full years as the coach.

VERY HOT START
The Green Wave have won seven of their first eight games for the first time since 2014-15. Tulane has gotten off to a 7-1 start or better just 10 times in program history in 44 years. A win on Saturday would be just the seventh start of 8-1 or better in program history.

DEFENSE DOES IT
The Green Wave defense has been remarkable through seven games this season, giving up fewer than 60 points per game six times. Tulane allowed 56, 54 and 51 points in its first three games, and the team topped that by giving up just 45 to FAU on November 28 and 46 to Nicholls on Tuesday. Tulane opponents' .262 shooting percentage from the 3-point line ranks 50th in the nation.

BENCH CONTRIBUTIONS
Through eight games this year, the Green Wave bench has been a huge part of the offense. Green Wave bench players have combined 26.9 points per game in 2018-19, and Tulane opponents have averaged just 13.6 points per game off the bench.

DOMINANT FIRST HALVES
Tulane all but ended its game against Southern Miss on Saturday in the first half when it outscored the Golden Eagles 40-18. Tulane went on a 19-2 run at one point in the second quarter, and Southern Miss could not respond. In the last three games including Nicholls, Tulane has outscored its opponents 129-65.

CHEATHAM SINKING BUCKETS
With five games scoring in double figures this year, sophomore Sierra Cheatham is second on the team only to Krystal Freeman and her seven double-digit games. After scoring 15 Cleveland State on November 23, she tallied her fourth double-figure game of the year when she led Tulane with 13 against Southern Miss on Saturday and made it five with a team-high 14 points against Nicholls on Tuesday. She is now second on the roster with 11.9 points per game.

IT'S AN HONOR – AGAIN
For the second consecutive week, Tulane forward Krystal Freeman was recognized by The American when it placed her on its Honor Roll once again. Freeman had a tremendous week for Tulane, scoring in double figures in wins over FAU and Southern Miss while leading Tulane in rebounding both games. Freeman is leading Tulane with 14.1 points per game this year and also has a team-high 5.7 rebounds per game.

CAREER NUMBERS WATCH
Against Nicholls:

Sierra Cheatham will reach 250 career points with 13 more.

Coming up soon:

Erin Gutierrez is 3 points shy of 50.

NEXT UP
Tulane now has its longest break of the season, as the Green Wave will not play again until December 21. When that date rolls around, Tulane will be hosting the 23rd annual Tulane Classic featuring Saint Mary's, Texas State and Old Dominion. The Green Wave will face Old Dominion in the tournament's first round on December 21 at 3 p.m.

Green Wave Rolling To Alabama for Game on SEC Network+

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Players Mentioned

Kaila Anderson

Sierra Cheatham

Krystal Freeman

Erin Gutierrez

Harlyn Wyatt

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Green Wave Rolling To Alabama for Game on SEC Network+

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kaila Anderson

Sierra Cheatham

Krystal Freeman

Erin Gutierrez

Harlyn Wyatt

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