No. 18 Alabama women’s basketball defeated Ole Miss 84-78 on Sunday to pick up its first SEC road victory of the season.
The Crimson Tide entered this game after a tough loss to No. 5 Texas Thursday.
“It’s always about your response, so I thought that the entire organization handled the adversity with great energy and effort as well as a great reset,” Curry said.
Alabama was without veteran guard Sarah Ashlee Barker for the third straight game, as she is recovering from an injury suffered against Florida, and sophomore guard Diana Collins made her third start of the season.
After winning the opening tip, the Rebels got off to a fast start, going on a 7-0 run in just under a minute and a half. Curry called a timeout to discuss the situation with her team.
Alabama came out of the timeout swinging, as guard Zaay Green scored a mid-range jumper that was followed by a triple from guard Aaliyah Nye on the next offensive possession.
“I just credit our kids for having a minute to take a deep breath and handle the run today better than we did last Thursday,” Curry said.
The Crimson Tide reduced the deficit to 4 with 7:41 remaining, but the Rebels hit a 3-pointer and an inside jumper to boost their lead to 9 points.
Ole Miss held onto its lead for the entire first quarter, but Alabama kept chipping away one possession at a time.
The Crimson Tide did not allow a field goal in the first four minutes of the second quarter and went on a 6-0 run to take the lead at the 6:54 mark. Alabama outscored Ole Miss 17-10 in the second period, and Green and Nye combined for 10 points. The Crimson Tide went into halftime with a 31-27 lead.
The backcourt of Green and Nye unleashed an offensive onslaught in the second half. The tandem scored 39 points together, helping Alabama maintain the lead for the rest of the game.
“We did some adjustments on offense, got to moving the ball and opening up the lanes for each other, so once we were hot, it just kept going,” Green said.
Nye converted on 5 triples, an inside basket and 7 free throws in the second half to go with her first half point total of 8.
Her 32-point performance is a new career high, but she was not the only Alabama player to reach double figures. Green finished the game with 27 points, and Collins scored 11, the most she has logged as a Crimson Tide starter.
Curry said that she was pleased with Collins’ second-half performance after the guard hesitated at the game’s start.
“I thought she settled down at the half and was a lot more aggressive,” Curry said. “I thought she was really passive to start the game. I think the two early fouls probably didn’t help, but she was a difference-maker for us.”
Alabama’s next game will be in Coleman Coliseum on Thursday against No. 2 South Carolina. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network+ at 6 p.m. CT.
