Alabama women’s basketball finished off their regular season Sunday afternoon with a road victory over Texas A&M 78-71, the team’s third straight. Most importantly, the win pushes the Crimson Tide ahead of Tennessee in the SEC standings, meaning Alabama will have a double bye in the conference tournament for the first time in program history.
After allowing Texas A&M to crawl back from a 16-point deficit, Alabama fell behind 63-59 with just 4:56 left in the fourth quarter. The Crimson Tide closed on a 19-8 run to rip the game back from the grasp of the Aggies.
“I’m just really proud. We made a lot of gutsy plays down the stretch and got big stops when we needed them,” said head coach Kristy Curry. “The ability to all be on the same page with our changing defenses and to have four players in double-figures and make a lot of big plays was huge for us.”
Senior Sarah Ashlee Barker scored 10 of the 19 on her way to a 29-point night. Her step back three with 3:26 left recaptured the lead that they never let fall away.
Barker was aided by guards Loyal Mcqueen, Jessica Timmons, and Aaliyah Nye who all scored in double figures. When Barker had to sit on the bench with foul trouble, the trio of playmakers weathered the storm allowing Barker to return in the clutch to close things out.
After the Aggies took an 8-6 lead early in the first quarter, Alabama went on their first run. Over the next three minutes, the Crimson Tide outscored Texas A&M 13-2. Barker led the charge scoring five and assisting on another bucket during the run.
The Aggies responded to end the quarter as they snatched back the lead with a Tineya Hylton layup at the buzzer to make things 22-21 at the end of the first.
Texas A&M’s lead didn’t last long as Alabama went on a 17-1 during the first six minutes of the second quarter. With a 29-21 lead, Barker headed to the bench with her second foul. Guards Timmons and Karly Weathers stepped up by each knocking down a three to stretch the lead to 16 at 39-23.
Alabama allowed the Aggies to cut the lead to 12 but that was it in the second quarter as the halftime buzzer sounded with the Crimson Tide leading 43-31.
For much of the third quarter, the game was stale as the Aggies attempted to mount comebacks but were valiantly fought off by the Tide. The breakthrough for Texas A&M finally came late in the third quarter and extended into the fourth. Leading by 14 with 2:33 left in the third, Alabama’s offense went cold as they scored just four points over the next seven minutes.
Nye broke the ice for the Crimson Tide with a layup in transition that ultimately reignited the offense en route to the victory.
The win gives Alabama their 23rd win of the season, the most since the 1991-92 season, and 10th win in SEC play also the most since 1997-98. The win also tied Alabama with Tennessee in the SEC standings, but because of a head-to-head victory over the Volunteers Alabama jumped to fourth place. The jump from fifth to fourth place is monumental as the Crimson Tide will now have not one but two byes in the conference tournament.
Alabama will travel to Greensboro, South Carolina for the SEC tournament which will begin on Wednesday. The Crimson Tide will have to wait until Friday to play their quarterfinal matchup.
