Sophomore Meoshonti Knight recorded Alabama’s first 20-point game of the season as the women’s basketball team took down Appalachian State 93-59, improving to 2-0 on the year. Knight recorded a career-high 20 points while also grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out three assists.
“I am just looking to be more aggressive on both ends to get myself open and my teammates open,” Knight said.
In addition to Knight, Alabama had four players score in double figures. Senior Nikki Hegstetter recorded a career-high 17 points in the win. Hegstetter also blocked two shots and recorded two steals on the night. Being Alabama’s lone upperclassman in the starting lineup, she is a vocal leader on the team. Many of the players look up to Hegstetter both on and off the court.
“She (Hegstetter) always works hard in practice and in games,” said sophomore Hannah Cook. “I always look up to her. She is a great leader.
Junior Breanna Hayden and Cook also were in double figures, with Hayden tallying 13 points and Cook scoring 15 points. Cook also recorded a game-high 9 rebounds for the Crimson Tide. Sophomore Diamante Martinez continued to excel on the defensive end, blocking five shots.
The game started out slow, with both teams struggling on offense. In the first quarter alone, both squads combined for 23 fouls. Appalachian State made one field goal in the entire first quarter. Alabama took advantage of this, jumping out to a 22-13 lead at the end of the first quarter.
“I thought we got some great looks,” said head coach Kristy Curry “You cannot fault the effort, we just gotta finish. It is like writing a complete sentence and leaving off the punctuation mark.”
Alabama only extended their lead as the game went on, outscoring the Mountaineers by 25 over the next three quarters. The team forced 27 turnovers, leading to 32 points. Alabama was able to run in transition, scoring 20 points off of fast breaks.
“We were able to get some easy baskets in transition from half court stops,” Curry said. “When we can create our offense from our defense, it puts us at a different level.”
The team held Appalachian State to 26.6 percent shooting overall, while also holding to shoot under 20 percent from the three-point line. The Mountaineers had success on the offensive glass, grabbing 19 offensive rebounds leading to 20 second-chance points.
Alabama shot 41.2 percent from the field, making 14 shots in the first half and 16 in the second. The Crimson Tide knocked down five of its 16 three-point attempts in the game.
Alabama women’s basketball will face Mississippi Valley State in their next game on Sunday in Foster Auditorium at 2 p.m.
