By: Robert Sellers

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The Crimson Tide put up a fight against the No. 2 team in the land on Thursday night in Coleman Coliseum, but came up short with a final score of 58-76.

Despite a few big runs from the Gamecocks, Alabama was able to cut the lead down to six with 29 seconds remaining in the third behind stellar paint play from Essence Cody. South Carolina was able to maintain a minimum of a two-possession lead for the rest of the night.

Alabama struggled rebounding all night against the Gamecocks tenacious efforts, especially on the defensive glass. South Carolina outrebounded the Crimson Tide 33-18 and were able to turn many of those rebounds into second chance points. Alabama adjusted in the second half and rebounded much better, but still were outrebounded 22-19.

With the loss, Alabama drops to 3-2 in the SEC — having fallen to the No. 5 Texas Longhorns as well. The Tide’s schedule doesn’t get much easier the rest of the way, as there are still four games against ranked teams left on the schedule.

“As a competitor, I love it. I love the SEC,” Alabama Head Coach Kristy Curry said after the game. “There’s no better league in the country and I embrace that and I hope my team does as well.”

Star point guard Sarah Ashlee Barker missed her fourth game tonight with an ankle injury. Guards Aaliyah Nye and Zaay Green continue to play very well in the absence of Barker, as they combined for 27 points and were able to both score double digits. 

Despite her individual performance, Nye was adamant about learning from the loss.

 “I’m proud of us but we have to do better, we have to finish better, we shouldn’t have lost by the amount that we lost by, so I think we just learn from this and come back and battle hard,” she said.

Essence Cody was a strong presence once again in the paint offensively, dropping 15 points, and contributed heavily on defense with two blocks and a number of contested shots.

“When it comes to the paint just getting open, just playing my game, and having my teammates trust me to make layups and finish my shots,” Cody said when asked about her mindset in the paint.

In addition to Cody, Christabel Ezumah played a big role in tonight’s game. Ezumah didn’t play much in the first half, but really made a difference in the second half, grabbing 3 rebounds, as well as a block, and was a physical presence in crunch time.

South Carolina’s depth was strongly showcased tonight, as the visiting team outscored the Crimson Tide off the bench 43-2. Throughout the whole game, it seemed as though the Gamecocks’ bench was just as strong as their starting lineup and they capitalized on their depth all night.

 “It’s not always the first wave that gets you, sometimes it’s the second wave, and I think their bench made a difference,” Curry said when asked about the Tide bench’s performance.

”Obviously they dominated our bench, and that’s something we can work on.”

Alabama returns to action in Fayetteville on Sunday at 4 p.m. CT on the road at Arkansas.