Alabama women’s basketball improved to 10-2 on Nov. 20, defeating Grambling State 72-57 in Tuscaloosa.
Senior Nikki Hegsttetter led the way for the Crimson Tide, scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds to finish the game with a double-double. Hegstetter’s 17 points ties her career-high.
The Tigers dominated the game early, getting out to an 11-point lead in the first quarter, but Alabama cut the lead to seven at the end of the first. A 15-2 run in the second quarter sent the Crimson Tide into the locker room with a six-point lead at halftime.
“Our first group has to get off to a better start,” said Alabama head coach Kristy Curry. “You have to have some folks on the bench to give me a reason to change my mind. At the end of the day, we were able to make enough plays.”
Grambling Sate retook the lead in the opening stages of the third quarter, but after a basket by sophomore Quanetria Bolton, Alabama strung together a 9-0 run to lead 49-40. Alabama lead by as many as 18 as it cruised to a 15-point victory.
In addition to Hegstetter, two other Crimson Tide players scored in double figures. Junior Breanna Hayden scored 15 points while Bolton added 14 to the score sheet. Alabama shot 46.9 percent (30-64) from the field while also making nine of its 12 free throws. Grambling state shot 37.9 percent (22-58), knocking down nine of its 11 foul shots. Alabama won the rebounding battle handily, grabbing 45 boards to Grambling State’s 28.
Earlier in the week, Alabama fell to Georgia Tech 70-58 on Dec. 18 in Atlanta, Georgia. Two sophomores, Meoshonti Knight and Hannah Cook, led the Alabama in the loss scoring 14 and 11 points, respectively.
“Georgia Tech made shots, and we missed shots,” said Curry in a press release. “They did a great job of making the extra pass, and we had trouble guarding it.”
Georgia Tech knocked down 41 percent (26-63) of its shots in the game, while Alabama hit 37 percent (23-62) of its shots. Alabama won the rebounding battle in this matchup, 44-31.
Alabama will be back in action after a week off when it takes on Lipscomb on Dec. 28 in Tuscaloosa.
