Alabama women’s basketball defeated No. 15 Michigan State and unranked Richmond in the West Palm Beach Classic this weekend, and each of the Crimson Tide’s starters scored 10 or more points in both games.
Alabama head coach Kristy Curry said of having all five starters in double figures, “We are at our best when we are collective like that.”
Michigan State
Alabama beat the No. 15 Spartans 82-67 Friday to capture the team’s first ranked victory of the season.
The Spartans and the Crimson Tide struggled on offense in the first quarter, scoring a combined 6 points before the first media timeout.
The score at the end of the opening period was 9-8 Alabama, but both teams picked up the pace in the second quarter, scoring a combined 45 points.
Alabama guard Aaliyah Nye caught fire from range, draining three 3-pointers.
The Crimson Tide struggled to pull away due to 16 first-half turnovers, but the team went into halftime leading 32-30. Nye led Alabama in the scoring column with 11 points in the first half, also leading in overall scoring with 18 points secured during the game.
Alabama came alive in the second half, outscoring Michigan State 31-11 in the third quarter.
“We challenged the team at halftime.” Curry said. “We had to take care of the basketball because we had way too many turnovers. We weren’t being aggressive, and I thought our team really got the message at the half.”
The Crimson Tide hit five 3-pointers in the third to strengthen its lead. Guards Karly Weathers and Zaay Green scored 17 points combined in the quarter, including a buzzer-beating layup from Weathers to give Alabama a 22-point lead.
In the fourth quarter, forward Essence Cody made two layups and five free throws to help the Crimson Tide close out the win.
“We did a much better job at coming out and playing with our personality and not letting anyone dictate who we are.” Curry said, “I’m so proud of our team in the third and the fourth [quarters]. I thought we did a much better job in the second half.”
Richmond
Richmond entered Saturday’s game 3-1 in neutral site games this season, and Alabama came in undefeated at 3-0.
A 3-pointer from Cody sparked a Crimson Tide 7-0 run to open the game. Shortly after, Alabama traded scores with Richmond before Nye hit a 3-point shot of her own.
Alabama led by 8 points before Richmond heated up offensively. The Spiders drained four triples to cut into the Crimson Tide lead, and Alabama was only up 21-20 at the end of one quarter of play.
Richmond opened the second period by going on a 7-0 run, and Alabama did not make a shot in the first three minutes of the quarter.
Green heated up, making two shots from downtown and a layup to give Alabama the lead with 5:11 left in the second period. From then on, the Crimson Tide kept the lead for the rest of the quarter, shooting 75% from range.
“We got some critical stops when we needed it the most and had great balance across the offense,” Curry said, adding that her team showed a lot of grit and toughness to respond after Richmond’s run.
Alabama led 41-31 heading into halftime, but Richmond came out on fire in the third quarter, outscoring Alabama 22-10 to regain the lead.
The Crimson Tide did not make a shot In the last six minutes of the quarter, but the team scored 3 points at the foul stripe. The Spiders were in front by 2 with one quarter to go.
Weathers ended Alabama’s scoring drought by hitting a 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter that gave Alabama the lead once again, but it didn’t last long. Richmond later went on another 7-0 run starting at the 5-minute mark to build a 6-point lead.
The Crimson Tide did not panic. Nye and Weathers each banked a triple to give Alabama the lead with 2:35 left in the game.
Guard Sarah Ashlee Barker found most of her scoring in the fourth quarter, making two mid-range jumpers and converting five free throws to help Alabama finish with a 75-68 win to close out the West Palm Beach Classic.
“Richmond is a really good team. They are as good offensively and as well coached as we’ll see all season,” Curry said. “Credit our kids, though. There was a lot of grit, a lot of toughness, and this was a gutsy win.”
Alabama will return to Coleman Coliseum Sunday to play its final nonconference game of the regular season against Jacksonville.
