The Alabama women’s basketball team has played five of its eight games away from Tuscaloosa this season. The sixth such game is the 2022 road finale – a Sunday clash with the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. 

Alabama (6-2) has won four straight contests dating back to Nov. 23. A tough home win against Chattanooga was the latest showing for the Crimson Tide. A challenging win is still a win, and it sent the Crimson Tide into its final road matchup of the calendar year on a high note. 

Southern Miss (5-3), like Alabama, has not played a game in over a week. The Golden Eagles have won four of five but lost to Samford in Birmingham on Dec. 3. After splitting its first four, the team has found itself on the right track. No one has won in Hattiesburg so far this fall. However, Alabama has already gotten invaluable experience in hostile territory to bolster its chances of being the first to do it. 

“[I’ve] just been really pleased with how our kids have gone about their work this week,” head coach Kristy Curry said.  

“They do what, at times, has given us some problems,” Curry said. “They rebound the ball extremely well, they’re physical, they’re big […] the turnover situation will be critical to our success. We [have to] take care of the basketball. We have to rebound. I just can’t say that enough.” 

Curry commended Brittany Davis, who has rebounded the ball well during the season. 

“I’m wanting her to get 10 – a double-double,” said Curry. “She’s going to work on 10 this weekend.” 

Davis echoed Curry’s sentiment. 

“It’s good for me to be able to do more than just shoot the three,” Davis said. “I haven’t been shooting it well lately, so that’s why I’ve been doing other things to try to make up for that. Credit to my teammates for staying with me and believing in me, and my coaches.” 

The Crimson Tide has seen success in games where it has won the rebounding battle, while minimizing turnovers and creating them from the opposition is also key to taking a win Sunday. Another key is to win the battles in the second half. That’s what Samford did to end the Golden Eagles’ win streak, and that is part of what Alabama needs to do to put a blemish on Southern Miss’s home record. 

Alabama has seen plenty of road action in 2022, and the last of the road games this year brings with it a chance at winning a fifth straight game. Coming back home with a big win is much better than the sour taste a loss has the potential to bring. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT in Hattiesburg. 

Questions or comments? Email Blake Byler (Sports Editor) at [email protected]