Alabama women’s basketball finished non-conference play on a high note Sunday, winning 93-46 to move to 12-1 on the season.
“I was really pleased with our energy and our effort and execution,” head coach Kristy Curry said. “Today is another really good win for us, and it prepares us for what’s ahead.”
The Crimson Tide started the game out hot, jumping out to a 7-2 lead thanks to guard Sarah Ashlee Barker, who assisted forward Essence Cody and immediately stole Jacksonville’s inbound pass for another layup.
But Barker got in foul trouble early in the game. With 7:27 left in the first quarter, she picked up her second foul on an offensive charge, which sent her to the bench for the rest of the first half. Alabama struggled at first without her, going almost four minutes without scoring and allowing Jacksonville to take an 11-10 lead.
Guard Aaliyah Nye sparked the Crimson Tide offense, scoring the last 5 points of the quarter for the team to retake the lead 15-13. She continued her success into the second quarter, as she made 3s to spark separate 9-0 and 12-0 runs for Alabama.
Nye wasn’t the only player who was hot in the second quarter. Guard Eris Lester had an extended run in the game due to Barker’s foul trouble and took advantage, scoring 9 points in the second quarter with three layups and a 3-pointer, her sole attempt in the game.
“It’s just the goal to be better each possession,” Lester said. “[I] try to have fun coming off the bench and make an impact because I just wanna win.”
Guard Zaay Green then rounded out the success by making her only attempt from 3-point range, which gave Alabama a perfect 5/5 mark from downtown in the second quarter. The Crimson Tide shot 10/14 overall in the second, a large part of why the team was up 47-24 at halftime.
Barker was back in the game to start the second half and scored 10 points in the first five minutes. Her explosive return combined with Nye staying hot from downtown and making a pair of free throws sparked an 18-5 run to start the second half.
Lester and Cody expanded the Alabama lead to 69-29, each makingking a pair of free throws. Jacksonville then went on a 9-0 run before Green ended it with a pair of layups. Guard Diana Collins finished the productive quarter fittingly with a buzzer-beater 3-pointer.
Nye continued to stay scorching hot in the fourth quarter and made two more 3s, the second of which brought Alabama’s lead to 86-41 and forced a Jacksonville timeout with 5:44 left in the game.
The Crimson Tide emptied its bench after the timeout due to the 45-point lead. Collins made the team’s last 3-pointer of the game and Alabama walked away with the 93-46 win.
Nye excelled throughout the game, scoring a career-high 30 points on 9-12 shooting from the field and going 8-10 from 3-point range. Her eight 3-pointers tie the women’s school record for most made in a game.
“I’m just happy for her because you see how much work she puts in,” Curry said. “You don’t just become a good shooter in practice; it’s the time she puts in when nobody is watching.”
Barker finished with 12 points on a perfect 5/5 from shooting despite only playing 10 minutes, while Lester added 14 points on 5/9 shooting and eight rebounds.
Alabama shot well as a whole, going 32/59 from the field and an impressive 14/26 from 3-point range. The defense effort was equally impressive, holding Jacksonville to 18/61 from the field and forcing 24 turnovers.
The Crimson Tide’s next matchup will be Thursday against Florida at 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network+. This will be the team’s first SEC matchup of the season.
