Women’s basketball has taken its ninth win of the season in a 70-54 game against Louisiana-Monroe, leaving Alabama 11-2.
Despite averaging 81 points in their previous games, the Warhawks scored only 54 points this afternoon. Alongside this, Louisiana-Monroe stands as the 16th-ranked rebounding team in the country but was outrebounded by 12.
“I’m just proud of our team and how hard we’ve been working on it,” head coach Kristy Curry said when asked how Alabama outrebounded Louisiana-Monroe. “Just the mentality of all five rebounding on the defensive band, and then our presence on the offensive glass. … Listen, it’s not about how tall you are; it’s just about how much and how bad you want it.”
The game started in Alabama’s favor with forward Essence Cody winning the jump ball, followed by a layup from guard Jessica Timmons. This momentum was quickly shut down by Louisiana-Monroe guard Daisha Bradford, a Clemson transfer who dominated the Warhawks’ offense.
Bradford scored 24 of Louisiana-Monroe’s 54 points, followed by guard Jakayla Johnson, a transfer from Auburn, who had only 10.
“She’s an ACC Clemson player and does a really nice job. … She had 9 to start the game and I thought defensively we heavy-gapped her and showed a lot of different looks,” Curry said. “But I thought our team defense around her and the other four spots was the difference in the game. I don’t think she can beat you by herself, so I thought we collectively played great team defense.”
A 3-point jumper from Bradford gave Louisiana-Monroe a 9-8 lead early in the first quarter, but the Warhawks were quickly overtaken when forward Aaliyah Nye returned the favor with a 3-pointer of her own to put the Crimson Tide in the lead for the rest of the game.
The Crimson Tide asserted its dominance, leading for 37 minutes. While the initial five minutes saw some back-and-forth action, the team quickly established a substantial lead. By the conclusion of the first quarter, Alabama had secured a 21-13 advantage, setting the tone for its continued control.
“I just think it’s important to make sure that there are two things we could control, and that’s how hard we defend and how hard we rebound,” Curry said. “I thought our kids really stood the test after the first five minutes of the game and just continued to weather whatever was thrown out.”
Guard Sarah Ashlee Barker barely missed the opportunity for her first double-double of the season after scoring 18 points and nine rebounds. Despite this, she led the team in scoring with a 47.1% field goal percentage on 17 attempts. Barker has also more than doubled her average points per game from last season, from 6.9 to 15.4.
“I’m really proud of her and just a little disappointed because I think that you’ve got to allow her to play in some space,” Curry said, referring to Barker. “And I thought she did a really good job of countering today with whatever was thrown at her. I’m proud of her character, toughness and sportsmanship. I thought it was really special today and am proud of her.”
Alabama’s defensive performance limited Louisiana-Monroe to a mere 32.8% field goal accuracy while maintaining a 43.5% for the Crimson Tide. Notably, the Warhawks managed only four successful 3-pointers in the game, while Alabama’s Nye alone had four 3s.
The team is gearing up for its last matchup before a week-and-a-half holiday break, and it’s the second-to-last game before Alabama dives into SEC play. The upcoming matchup is set for this Wednesday against Jacksonville at Coleman Coliseum with tipoff scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.
