No. 23 Alabama women’s basketball hosted the No. 10 Oklahoma Sooners Sunday afternoon and took a close 79-71 loss.
The Crimson Tide came in looking to build upon its 20-5 record, and the Sooners had the same goal with their mark of 18-6. These squads were tied for seventh in the SEC with 6-5 conference records before Sunday.
For Alabama, the story of the game was being outmatched physically. Oklahoma plays a lethal brand of offense that simultaneously pushes pace at a breakneck speed and runs concise action in the halfcourt, and the Sooners’ all-around size advantage made it difficult to stop either method of scoring.
Perhaps no stat exemplifies the size and physicality difference more than the rebounding battle, which Alabama lost 45-25 while getting doubled up on the offensive boards. That specific subcategory trickled over into the scoreboard, as the Crimson Tide gave up 19 second-chance points while only scoring 6 itself.
“Gave up 14 offensive rebounds, gave up 17 in both games last week. That’s certainly a weakness of ours,” head coach Kristy Curry said. “I’ve got to be a better rebounding coach.”
Even with those statistical woes, there were other areas where the Crimson Tide excelled. After a first half where the team struggled to put together stops and went into the break down 41-33, it revved up its intensity and put together one of its best defensive quarters of conference play. In the third quarter, it forced the Sooners into seven turnovers, and for the game overall, it forced 19, winning that category 19-9. The team also won in points off turnovers, 15-9.
“If I’m an Alabama fan watching that game, I love how our kids responded,” Curry said about the second half effort. After giving up a 4-0 to start the third and being down 12, her squad put together an extended run that got the game within 5 at four minutes to go and then took the lead 57-54 with just under 2:00.
“It’s just hustling and scrambling around,” guard Ta’Mia Scott said about the turnovers and converting them to points. “We knew they wanted to get in the paint, and they were floating passes.”
The fourth quarter was more of the same, and Alabama found itself in another back-and-forth rock fight down the stretch. Ultimately, however, physicality and rebounding proved to be the difference. The Sooners also got a strong fourth quarter outing from their leading scorer, guard Aaliyah Chavez, who averages 18.2 points per game and scored 9 of her 15 total in the fourth quarter on Sunday.
Her shotmaking in the final minutes took a game that was within a point at the midway mark of the fourth quarter to a decisive 75-69 Oklahoma advantage with 1:30 to go.
For Alabama, Scott led the way in scoring with 17 points, and guards Jess Timmons and Ace Austin both had 11.
“I just ask our team to stay positive and embrace the hard,” Curry said, promoting an optimistic outlook as Alabama moves into the back half of SEC play. “This team has a chance to continue to grow and improve. The teams that work on the adversity and don’t let it work on them are the ones that will be successful here down the stretch.”
The Crimson Tide will next play on Thursday night at home against No. 3 South Carolina, which beat Alabama 83-57 on New Year’s Day. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
