Playing in its final regular season game, the Alabama women’s basketball will make the familiar trip down Highway 82 to take on the No. 16 Mississippi State Bulldogs. Coming off of an emotional win on Thursday against Tennessee, Alabama looks to string together two victories in a row.
“We are just excited about the match up,” Alabama coach Kristy Curry said. “We have a fan bus going over and we are fired up about the opportunity to put back-to-back quality wins together.”
The team currently find itself in a position to qualify for the post season, notching its 15th win of the regular season on Thursday night. Not only does the Crimson Tide set its sights on beating Mississippi State, but on putting itself in the best position to make the post season tournament.
Curry believes that outside of the game tomorrow, that is the team’s main goal.
“We have put ourselves in a position to qualify for it [post season tournaments],” Curry said. “That has been our sole mission.”
Alabama has yet to win a game on the road this season, this is its last chance for the regular season. That has been something that has eluded it even through the recent milestone. The team’s biggest wins have come in front of its home fans at Foster Auditorium.
Senior Nikki Hegstetter said the team is excited for the opportunity to finally get a win on the road.
“It should be a good game,” she said. “We are going to go in there looking to get our first road win. That is the goal. I think we matchup well with them.”
Mississippi State is no stranger to taking down SEC opponents on its home floor. Heading into this game, the Bulldogs have won five of its seven conference home games.
Alabama is trying to take away some its historic performance against Tennesee and bring it to Starkville.
“I think if we play defense like we did against Tennessee and South Carolina, then it should be a good game for us,” Hegstetter said.
Alabama is not only trying to win back-to-back games, but the Crimson Tide is trying to establish a rhythm heading into the SEC tournament and the post season. Curry believes this game is about Alabama limiting turnovers so it can pick up two straight wins.
“We have to take care of the ball and find ways to score,” she said. “We have to handle their pressure. Their defense is very good. We have to figure out ways to score and limit empty possessions.”
