Despite almost finding its way to a three-game win streak, women’s basketball suffered the second defeat of its SEC slate Sunday in a 59-77 game at the hands of the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Head coach Kristy Curry said the loss was the result of being outplayed and lacking consistency.
“I thought today we just got beaten at every position. Credit to Arkansas,” Curry said. “They did a phenomenal job today, and it was their day, and from the floor to the bench, they were just better. … We’re searching for consistency. It’s a word that we talk about on a regular basis, and we weren’t very consistent from what we did earlier in the week.”
The game started with a 10-point lead for the Crimson Tide, including a 3-pointer from guard Essence Cody, a jumper by guard Jessica Timmons, and an unprotected fast-break layup by guard Sarah Ashlee Barker — all within 30 seconds of each other.
With three minutes left in the first quarter, Alabama took an 11-point lead over the Razorbacks at 22-11. Even though Alabama boasted 100% 3-pointer accuracy in the first quarter, things would go wrong very fast for the Crimson Tide as the Razorbacks began their pursuit for the win.
Still, guard Loyal McQueen remained adamant that despite the loss, there was good to be found in the game.
“I think there’s always some positives that you can take away from every game,” McQueen said. “I think today, during the week, we went over how to communicate better in these games, and I think we communicated well. Of course, there are always some areas that you can improve in, but I think we communicated well. I think we kept continuing to uplift each other, but yeah, like they said, Arkansas played us today, and we just got to bounce back on Thursday.”
After a promising first quarter, Alabama’s effectiveness from beyond the arc declined in the second quarter, reaching only 25%.
In contrast, Arkansas’s performance displayed consistent improvement throughout the game. Despite a 25% 3-pointer scoring percentage, the Razorbacks excelled in offensive and defensive efforts, ultimately securing the victory. The team was dominant on the boards with 52 rebounds, surpassing the Crimson Tide by 17. Arkansas also showcased a 29% higher free-throw average than Alabama and had 11 blocks compared with Alabama’s three.
“We need to do what they did, respond to adversity,” Barker said. “We didn’t do that today. Arkansas was the better team today. They played harder than us. They outrebounded us. They did everything the stat line better than us today, and that’s on us.”
By the end of the third quarter, the Razorbacks led the Crimson Tide by 13 points, and for every time the Crimson Tide attempted a redemption, Arkansas guards Saylor Poffenbarger, Makayla Daniels and Samara Spencer, as well as forward Maryam Dauda, were ready to take it back. By the end of the fourth quarter, there was nothing for Alabama to do as Arkansas held the ball waiting for the buzzer to ring on its 18-point lead.
“You look at Spencer, and you look at Poffenbarger, and you look at Daniels and those three kids, and Dauda, on the bench a year ago,” Curry said. “They bring a lot of experience back, and we looked very inexperienced tonight. I just thought they controlled the game. It seems like teams that have had adversity in the game before bounce back.”
Women’s basketball will take on the LSU Tigers, who lost to Auburn on Sunday, at Coleman Coliseum on Thursday at 8 p.m. CT. Fans can stream the game on the SEC Network.
“It’s going to be a test of wills on Thursday because we’ve both had a little adversity today,” Curry said. “So, we’re going to have to go above and beyond to have a bounce back.”
