MONTICELLO, Ark. – The University of Arkansas at Monticello women's basketball team will look to remain undefeated thus far in 2019-20 when it hosts Crowley's Ridge College on Tuesday night in Monticello, Arkansas at 6:30 p.m.
 
LIVE COVERAGE LINKS
LINK TO PREVIEW VIDEO FEATURING KYIAH JULIAN AND GREG LONG
UAM VS. CROWLEY'S RIDGE – 12/3 – 6:30 P.M. – LIVE STATS, LIVE VIDEO
 
GAME DETAILS
Opponent: Crowley's Ridge College
Date: December 3, 2019
Location: Monticello, Arkansas – Steelman Field House
In-Game Updates: Twitter (@UAMsports)
Last Played: January 2, 2016 in Monticello (W, 94-63)
 
UAM PRIMER
2019-20 Record: 6-0
2019-20 GAC Record: 2-0
Head Coach: Greg Long, First Season (6-0)
 
SCOUTING THE BLOSSOMS
The UAM women's basketball team enters the contest with a 6-0 overall record and a 2-0 Great American Conference record. Crowley's Ridge is 3-6 overall as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The Pioneers are also members of Association of Independent Institutions and are yet to play a conference game.
 
UAM is off to a 6-0 start for the first time since the 1976-77 season. That season, the Blossoms were 20-3 and were Co-AWISA Champions. UAM is looking to go 7-0 for the first time since that year as well.
  
The Blossoms have not played a game since November 23rd when they battled Ouachita Baptist on the road to a 63-60 victory.
 
Last time out, Berniezha Tidwell and Kayla Bradley were the team's top scorers with 14 and 13 points, respectively, while Mekaylan Hicks was UAM's top rebounder with eight boards. Tidwell also added four assists in the win.
 
Much of UAM's early success has been to its defense. Currently, the Blossoms are third in NCAA Division II in scoring defense (47.5 ppg), ninth in field goal percentage defense (31.9%) and 13th in scoring margin at +22.2.
 
UAM also has a few players getting some individual recognition. Tidwell and Bradley have been a pair of the nation's most impressive guards defensively with Tidwell ranking seventh in steals per game (3.83) and 12th in total steals (23), while Bradley is just behind at 22nd in steals per game (3.33) and 31st in total steals (20).
 
As a team, UAM enters this contest shooting 44.1 percent from the floor and 28.3 percent from downtown. The Blossoms are averaging 41.8 rebounds per contest and have a +8.3-rebound margin. UAM also dishes out 12.3 assists per game.
 
Tidwell is UAM's top scorer averaging 17.0 points per contest while also adding a team-best 4.3 assists per game.
 
Hicks and Tidwell also are pretty solid on the glass with Hicks averaging 6.8 boards per contest and Tidwell averaging 6.5.
 
Hicks also scores 9.8 points per contest while Bradley follows behind at 8.8 points per contest while also ranking second on the team in assists with 17.
  
CROWLEY'S RIDGE PRIMER
2019-20 Record: 3-6
2019-20 NAIA AII Record: 0-0
Head Coach: Tye Clothier, Ninth Season
 
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Crowley's Ridge has a pair of scorers that have averaged double digits so far this year in Octavia Lowery and Hannah Cunningham. Lowery has scored 14.8 points per game while Cunningham averages 11.2 points per contest.
 
CRP's also has a pair of players who are grabbing at least six boards per game in Lowery (6.1 rpg) and Nakeeva Brandon (6.2 rpg).
 
Defensively, Lowery adds 23 steals, while Brandon has 10 blocks and 12 steals of her own.
 
UP NEXT
UAM will return to conference play with a road contest at Arkansas Tech University on Saturday at 1 p.m.