TUSCALOOSA Ala. – The 18th ranked Alabama Crimson Tide found themselves trailing 28-13 halfway through the second quarter against their arch rivals, the Auburn Tigers, but the Tide went on a blistering 17-0 run to end the first half and never looked back. Alabama thwarted the Tigers’ upset efforts, winning 66-50 at Coleman Coliseum on Sunday Night.

The Crimson Tide had no answer to the Tigers’ stifling man to man defense to start the game. Auburn was able to force 5 turnovers, snatch 3 steals, and grab 4 offensive rebounds in the first half. The Tigers’ high effort play, and 22-6 points in the paint advantage, pitted Alabama in a 13-28 hole. 

Sarah Ashlee Barker took the blame for the team’s slow start.

“When we got to the media time out, we kind of all looked at each other and we were like, this is on the five of us that are out here on the floor right now,” said Barker postgame. “We knew that we had the coaches’ support and they were going to stay positive that we would get back into this game.”

Alabama completely turned the game upside down, ending the second quarter on an electric 17-0 run. The Crimson Tide forced 11 turnovers during the run, and shutout Auburn’s offense during the final 5 minutes of the half. Alabama was 7/11 from the field over their run, having previously shot 4/17 during the first 15 minutes of the game. 

“I think it’s about how are we going to respond to things when we get down by a lot or if we miss a shot. And I think we responded in a positive way,” said Aaliyah Nye.

Barker also had some takeaways from Alabama’s run. “We just had to stay together and know that when we could get some defensive stops, it was going to translate to offense. And that’s exactly what it was,” Barker said. 

The commander of the Tide’s electric second quarter run, and main offensive contributor throughout the entire game was Aaliyah Nye. Nye set the record for the most three point shots made in Alabama program history in the first quarter. But Nye didn’t stop there, as she served as the commander for the TIde’s electric second quarter run, and continued to lead Alabama’s offensive efforts throughout the game. Nye finished with 29 points on 10/18 shooting from the field. 

Defensively, Coach Kristy Curry started the game in her typical press defense, but Auburn was having no trouble breaking the press and getting to the basket. Curry was forced to change up the defense in the second quarter, switching to straight man to man defense. The move worked wonders for the Tide, as they held the Tigers to just 50 points on 40% shooting from the field. 

Coach Curry had been urging Alabama fans to come to games to support the elite team that she had helped build, and her plea was answered tonight. Coleman Coliseum was a hostile environment all night, and the fans helped the Tide play big against their rivals.

“When we got down, I thought they were the reason that we were able to, you know, regain control of the game,” said Coach Kristy Curry about the crowd. “They helped us gain some momentum, we really appreciate them, and we hope they’ll come back out Thursday night.”

Alabama improves their conference record to 9-5 with tonight’s win, moving to fifth place in the SEC. In order to snag a top 4 seed in the SEC tournament, Alabama would need to win their next two games against No. 4 LSU, and No. 16 Oklahoma, and would need the Kentucky Wildcats to lose their final two games against No. 15 Tennessee and No. 6 South Carolina. This would guarantee that the Crimson Tide would receive a double bye in the SEC tournament. 

Alabama is back in action in Coleman Coliseum on Thursday Night, for their regular season home finale against No. 4 LSU. The game will tip at 8 p.m. central time.

“Hey, Thursday Night, eight o’clock. Roll Tide,” said Curry as she left the press conference.