Alabama women’s basketball played its first out-of-state road game on Sunday against head coach Kristy Curry’s alma mater, Louisiana Monroe, winning 75-52 to keep the winning streak alive.
“I don’t think I’ve been back in this gym in 30 years,” Curry said. “It’s always good to be back. Campus has grown a lot, and I’m just very proud. It’s definitely the makeup of a lot of the fabric of who I’ve become.”
Guard Sarah Ashlee Barker wasted no time getting the Crimson Tide out in front. On Alabama’s first possession, Barker lost her shoe, quickly put it back on and drained a 3-pointer immediately after. She finished the first quarter with 9 points.
ULM kept up with Alabama in the first quarter primarily because the Crimson Tide was called for eight personal fouls. The Warhawks capitalized by hitting 10/12 free throws.
“I thought it was some bizarre behavior in the first quarter as far as things we couldn’t control. Anytime anybody shoots 12 free throws in one quarter, it’s an interesting dynamic there, but we were able to overcome it and stay together. It was an interesting road environment today,” Curry said.
Alabama led by 5 points at the end of the quarter, but the Crimson Tide reached down deep and switched into a new gear.
Barker continued to attack the basket and finished the first half with 19 points.
Alabama’s defense only allowed 4 points in the second quarter. Shooting behind the arc is not one of the strong suits of ULM, so Curry adjusted the Crimson Tide’s zone defense so that more crimson jerseys could trap players that came into the paint.
Alabama owned the second quarter and went into halftime leading 46-22.
The Crimson Tide kept its foot on the gas, and Barker ended the game with 25 points.
“Sarah Ashlee just showed a lot of grit and toughness, made play after play and was under a lot of duress at times, but she made some big buckets,” Curry said.
One of Alabama’s starters had an off day against ULM. Guard Aaliyah Nye entered this game shooting 52% from behind the arc, but she only made 1/8 3-pointers against ULM.
Alabama shot 15% from 3 as a team, but because of the team’s ability to attack the basket efficiently and play tight zone defense, the Crimson Tide kept a double-digit lead through 2 1/2 quarters.
“We didn’t shoot the ball particularly well today, and I’m not sure if that’s because of heavy legs or what, but we’re gonna get those good shots and they’re going to go in at some point, so we’ll just tell them to keep shooting it,” Curry said.
Alabama’s win gave Curry a homecoming victory over ULM. With this win, the team improves to 6-0 on the season.
The Crimson Tide will return to action in next week’s Emerald Coast Classic in Niceville, Florida, facing Alabama State on Nov. 25 at 1:30 p.m.
