No. 23 Alabama women’s basketball celebrated National Girls and Women in Sports Day by successfully defending its home court on Sunday, defeating Georgia 72-57.
“I saw a lot of our female athletes and coaches out there today,” Alabama head coach Kristy Curry said. “Saw so many little girls in the stands, and it’s truly a blessing to have the opportunity to impact others and to be a servant leader, and I know our players really appreciated that today.”
Alabama entered the game 4-4 in SEC play on the season and looked to get back in the win column after dropping its last two games.
Before Sunday, guard Aaliyah Nye was in a 3-point-shooting slump, having gone 1/9 from range in Alabama’s last three games, but she tapped back into her sharpshooting form against Georgia by shooting 60% from deep.
The Crimson Tide boat raced the Lady Bulldogs in the opening quarter, outscoring them 26-11. Nye scored 9 points exclusively from behind the arc, and guard Sarah Ashlee Barker made a triple of her own while dishing out five assists to her teammates.
“She draws so much attention, but what people don’t understand is what a great facilitator she is,” Curry said.
Alabama held Georgia to another 11-point performance in the second quarter. The Crimson Tide’s defensive excellence allowed them to put together an 11-1 run before the Lady Bulldogs called timeout with 4:03 remaining.
“I think when we can get stops, get easy looks in transition and put ourselves in a numbers situation, we’re much more efficient offensively,” Curry said.
Nye continued to lead the charge for the Crimson Tide by nailing three more 3-pointers to go with the trio of triples she hit in the first quarter. She entered halftime as Alabama’s leading scorer with 22 points.
Forward Essence Cody controlled the paint in the first half and capitalized on free throw opportunities. She scored 9 points and hauled in seven rebounds.
Alabama shot 64.3% from the field in the first half, 31% better than Georgia.
Despite being down 49-22 at halftime, the Lady Bulldogs continued to battle and came close to building a second-half comeback. In the third quarter, Alabama turned the ball over four times and was silent from downtown, getting held to 8 points for the period.
Meanwhile, Georgia put together its most productive quarter of the game by scoring 22 points, cutting the deficit to 15.
The momentum was leaning in favor of Georgia heading into the fourth quarter, but the Lady Bulldogs could not string stops when needed.
Georgia and Alabama traded baskets throughout the final quarter, and the Crimson Tide won the game by 15 points.
Alabama’s barrage of offense in the first half was too much to overcome. The Crimson Tide picked up its fifth SEC victory of the season, and seven regular season conference games remain.
Nye was held scoreless in the second half, but her 22-point performance in the first half paid dividends for Alabama. Barker set a new career-high in assists with eight, and Cody finished with 17 points and a season-high 13 rebounds to achieve her second double-double of the year.
“I’m really proud of our team today and our response,” Curry said. “Last week was tough, and I think adversity rebuilds character. I love our kids’ character.”
Alabama’s next game is a road matchup against Florida on Thursday. The game will be broadcast at 6 p.m. CT.
