After a first half in which the Alabama Crimson Tide women’s basketball team shot just 43% from the field and led a winless Little Rock team by just 9 points, head coach Kristy Curry wanted to see her team come out strong in the third quarter.
“We just needed somebody on the road to step up and make some plays,” Curry said. “And I thought Jess had some toughness about her there in the third. Good win for our program today.”
The Crimson Tide did exactly that, going on a 13-0 run to start the second half, featuring 8 straight points from junior guard and North Carolina State transfer Jessica Timmons, to ensure that the Crimson Tide would remain undefeated.
“I’m just really proud of our team today,” Curry said. “This is very hard place to play. And traditionally, [Little Rock head coach] Joe Foley has done a great job with this system and style of play, and they like to limit possessions and make it ugly. But at the end of the day, I thought our team really found a way, especially in the third, to come out and get some buckets.”
All 14 of Timmons’ points came in the second half, when Alabama outscored the Trojans 34-19.
The first half was a completely different story.
Alabama guard Sarah Ashlee Barker was good as always, putting up 11 points on 5-8 shooting, but outside of her, the Crimson Tide shot just 35% from the field. A last-second 3-pointer by junior guard Jaiyah Harris-Smith, who beat Alabama as a freshman playing for Ole Miss, meant that an 0-3 Little Rock team, fresh off of back-to-back 35-point losses, were within 10 points at the half.
Aside from that initial run, Alabama looked like a whole new team in the second half. This was particularly true on the boards, as freshmen Naomi Jones and Essence Cody continued their big-rebounding seasons.
“I think she [Cody] and Naomi have really done a really good job of going to rebound every single time a shot goes up,” Curry said. “We’ve got to do a better job of trying to help them continue to grow defensively, move their feet and then get the ball inside a little bit more. I thought it made them a little passive going to the offensive glass because they weren’t wanting to come over some backs, but really proud of their effort and trying to stick with it.”
The Crimson Tide is now 5-0 to start off its season. Up next is a massive test in the No. 20 Louisville Cardinals, a bona fide Atlantic Coast Conference title contender that boasts one of the deepest rosters in the country. The game will be played Friday in Katy, Texas, as a part of the Betty Chancellor Classic. It will tip off at 11 a.m and be broadcast on ESPN+.
