The Alabama women’s basketball team lost its final home game of the season Sunday to the No. 25 South Carolina Gamecocks, 69-55. Alabama fell to 2-12 in the Southeastern Conference and 12-16 overall with the loss.
South Carolina shot well above its 38.8 shooting average in the first half, connecting on 15 of 29 shots and shooting 51.7 percent. The Gamecocks also had success from beyond the arc, as they went 3-5 on 3-pointers to score 60 percent during the first half. Entering the game, South Carolina ranked 10th in the SEC in 3-point percentage, with 27.8. Entering halftime, South Carolina led 38-26.
Head coach Wendell Hudson said Alabama’s biggest problem in the first half was letting South Carolina control the speed of the game.
“South Carolina controlled the tempo,” Hudson said. “And that’s what the biggest problem was. Once they got the lead, they really did a great job of not forcing shots and turning it over.”
The Tide didn’t fare much better in the second half, as it was only able to shoot 22.9 percent from the floor and only made two out of eight attempts on 3-pointers. The Tide finished the game going 19-69 from the floor.
Still, Alabama seemed to play with more intensity in the second half, using stingy defense and numerous fast breaks to keep the game manageable. Every time Alabama made a run, however, South Carolina answered, keeping at least a 10-point lead for most of the second half.
Junior Meghan Perkins said that although South Carolina played well enough to control the game, Alabama should have played with more intensity throughout the game.
“It’s frustrating,” Perkins said. “But at the end of the day, we have to focus on what we’re doing and not worry about what they’re doing. We have to get stops and make shots. We just got to finish. We got to finish at the rim.”
Hudson said the game ultimately came down to Alabama’s inability to make shots.
“South Carolina, 55 percent for South Carolina,” Hudson said. “Close to 56 percent, 27.5 percent for Alabama shooting. When you don’t make shots, especially early in a game like this, you’re going to struggle. And that’s what we did.”
Despite Alabama’s play, Perkins said she was pleased with the team playing as hard as they did.
“It sucks to lose,” Perkins said. “But we fought hard, and I’m proud of my team for doing that.”
