First Test of the Season for Women’s Basketball

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.- The Crimson Tide faced off against an undefeated Norfolk State team on Wednesday. The Spartans posed a significant challenge, aiming for consecutive victories over Southeastern Conference opponents after their recent win against the Missouri Tigers. Nevertheless, the Crimson Tide managed to secure a 68-58 victory.

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The game began with an administrative technical foul called against the Spartans. "It was a miscue in the book, with a number. I'm not sure on the whole situation. We went to Aaliyah, who has led us with our free throw percentage in practice. It was a bit of an unusual situation. We were fortunate to still get the tip and have the possession," said coach Kristy Curry. Aaliyah Nye converted one of two free throws, and the Crimson Tide won the tipoff.

The first quarter was intense, with the Spartans trying to keep pace with the Crimson Tide, showing their offensive and defensive capabilities. Both teams exchanged baskets, but Zaay Green helped the Crimson Tide establish a lead, contributing to an 11-0 run. A combination of 3-pointers, fouls, turnovers, and rebounds allowed the Crimson Tide to finish the quarter ahead, 20-12.

The Crimson Tide's defense was formidable, blocking five shots in the opening five minutes of the second quarter. Although they struggled with shooting and committed turnovers early on, Sarah Ashlee Barker broke through the defense to score a layup, setting the ton for the team. This then sparked a 17-6 run, allowing the Crimson Tide to close the first half with a commanding 37-20 lead.

Essence Cody opened the scoring for the Crimson Tide in the third quarter with a basket for two. Moments later, she found herself wide open again, converting another two points with an assist from Karly Weathers. However, the Spartans were relentless in their pursuit, outscoring the Crimson Tide 23-14 to narrow the gap. Barker later hit a crucial 3-pointer with less than five minutes left in the quarter. Despite the chaos, the Crimson Tide managed to maintain their lead, thanks to Christabel Ezumah, who added two to extend the advantage to 51-43.

The Spartans struck first in the fourth quarter, bringing the score to 51-45, and quickly scored the first seven points to close the gap to just one point. Nye responded for the Crimson Tide with a 3-pointer, pushing the score to 54-50. Cody followed up with a two shortly after. Green added to the lead with a free throw, and Barker fought for a rebound, setting up another scoring opportunity. Although a shot was missed, Cody drew a foul, converting one of two free throws to make it 58-50. The Spartans continued to battle, hitting a 3-pointer with 3:15 left, narrowing the score to 58-53. However, Green came through like a storm, maneuvering past defenders for two, extending the lead to 60-53. With determination, the Crimson Tide held on, and with under a minute to go, Nye sealed the victory with a 3-pointer.

The Crimson Tide are back at Coleman Coliseum on Thursday to face Alcorn State at 6:00 p.m. Curry hopes to see her team play better than they did against the Spartans. "The communication, the tendencies, and the little things defensively are areas I can try to clean up. I think I need to go to my bench more, we need to rest, and I have to do a better job in some areas with that," said Curry regarding the Spartans' attempted comeback. "I'm not sure we handled today at the level I wanted us to handle it, so I hope to see a different response tomorrow."

Game Highlights via SID Anna Nobles:

• Alabama recored eight blocks in the first half, with Cody contributing four in the second quarter alone
• The Crimson Tide limited the Spartans to just eight points during the second quarter,  marking the fewest points allowed by Alabama in a quarter since Dec. 31, 2023, against Mississippi Valley State. The team finished with a team high in blocks on Dec. 13, 2021.
• The starting lineup of Barker, Cody, Green, Nye, and Weathers accounted for 63 of the team's 68 points.
• After experiencing four lead changes, Alabama maintained the lead for 38 minutes and 53 seconds
• Barker set a career high with four blocks, Cody tied her career high in blocks with five, and Weathers set a career high with 11 rebounds.
• Alabama shot 40% from the field (26-of-64), 28% from the 3-point range (8-of-28), and 53% from the free-throw line (8-of-18). In contrast, the Spartans managed 35% shooting from the field (22-of-62), 39% from beyond the arc (9-of-23), and 71% from the free-throw line (5-of-7).

Head Coach Kristy Curry Postgame Comments:

"She did a great job! She's been putting together really great third and fourth quarter finishes and that's so important. We've got to get her off to a better start to see if she can finish without missing easy looks in the first half," said Curry regarding Cody being able to control the offense and defense.

"SA just makes hustle plays, she's got some toughness and grit, some physicality. Fortunately, she was able to stay out of foul trouble. When you're making those hustle plays, the importance is making sure we do those without fouling. I think she did a really great job tonight," said Curry regarding Barker diving for balls and taking charge.

"It's designed to help us before Thanksgiving and then right before Christmas and right before SEC tournament time. It's hard to play back-to-back days when you haven't done it all year. We obviously have six new faces, so the design of that is to try to put them in a position," said Curry on playing back-to-back games.