No. 18 Alabama women’s basketball celebrated Senior Day by defeating in-state rival Auburn 66-50 on Sunday in the annual Power of Pink game.
“I am so incredibly proud of the win today,” head coach Kristy Curry said. “Amazing crowd. We had the opportunity today to play for something bigger than basketball and raise awareness for women’s cancers.”
Guard Aaliyah Nye achieved a special milestone. With her first 3-pointer in today’s game, Nye became the leader in all-time made 3-pointers in program history.
“I haven’t processed it yet, but I’m very thankful for my team and coaches putting me in those positions because if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t get those shots,” Nye said.
Alabama did not get off to an ideal start in the opening quarter, scoring only 2 points in six minutes. Auburn jumped all over Alabama’s dribble handoffs and swarmed forward Essence Cody from every angle whenever she got the ball in the paint.
The Crimson Tide did not respond well to the Tigers’ smothering defense, turning the ball over seven times in the first quarter, and Auburn capitalized by scoring 7 points in transition.
On the flip side, Alabama was great at shutting down Auburn shooters on the first shot attempt of possession, but the Crimson Tide struggled on the glass, allowing the Tigers to grab five offensive rebounds. Those boards led to 8 second-chance points for Auburn.
Alabama trailed by 11 with 3:55 on the clock, and Curry used a timeout to try to slow the game down.
After the timeout, guard Zaay Green scored her first points of the game by converting a contested layup. The Crimson Tide followed that up with a defensive stop, which opened up an open look for Alabama’s best shooter.
Nye buried her first triple of the night to eclipse the program’s 3-point record and give her team a much-needed boost.
As the opening period was ending, Auburn guard Jordan Hunter launched the basketball from half-court and drilled a buzzer-beating shot that gave her team an 11-point lead heading into the second quarter.
Alabama started the second frame with another slow start, converting one field goal in the quarter’s first five minutes. Auburn kept up its success at the rim and extended its lead to 16.
It seemed as if the Crimson Tide was down and out, but Alabama’s backcourt caught fire after Barker scored a basket down low with 4:11 on the clock.
Alabama started showing signs of life as guard Karly Weathers came up with a steal on the next possession. After the defensive stop, Barker sprinted up the court with the basketball and dished it to Nye for a wide-open triple.
Once again, Weathers came up with another massive play on defense by blocking an Auburn 3-point attempt. She connected on a 3-pointer a few seconds later to cut the deficit to 8.
“You don’t have to be the tallest or the fastest,” Curry said. “It’s doing your job, and she shows up every single day.”
Alabama held Auburn scoreless in the final three minutes of the second quarter, and the Crimson Tide put together a 17-0 run to capture a 1-point lead before halftime. Nye finished the first half with 15 points.
“I thought they were able to do a really good job when things got hard,” Curry said. “They embraced hard and made plays on the defensive end and rebounded.”
Barker and Nye did not cool down after the intermission. Together, they scored 13 of Alabama’s 19 third-quarter points.
Barker had her way inside of the perimeter, as she knocked down a midrange jumper and a layup. Nye continued to pile onto her program record, draining two more shots from behind the arc.
With less than two minutes remaining, Barker swished her first 3-point shot of the game to push Alabama’s lead to double figures. The Crimson Tide was up by 10 after the third quarter.
Auburn opened the final quarter with a sense of urgency, scoring 4 quick points on its first two possessions. Alabama’s jumpers were not falling in the opening minutes, but a steal from Green set up an open transition layup for Cody.
The Crimson Tide defense continued to level up, forcing the Tigers to turn the ball over 9 times in the fourth quarter. Alabama finished the game with a demoralizing 13-2 run to defeat Auburn by 16.
Nye finished with 29 points and six triples to put an exclamation on her record-breaking Senior Day.
“Every little girl that wants to become a good shooter should see the work that she’s put in beyond practice,” Curry said.
Nye’s partner in crime, Barker, finished with 13 points, five assists and eight rebounds.
Alabama will play its final regular-season home game on Thursday, hosting No. 7 LSU. The game will be broadcast at 8 p.m. on SEC Network.
