A week removed from their devastating loss to the Tennessee Lady Volunteers, Alabama women’s basketball bounced back against the Auburn Lady Tigers. The Crimson Tide won 67-55 behind a spectacular effort from Alabama senior guard Jordan Lewis. Here are two key takeaways from Sunday afternoon’s game. 

1: It Takes The Team 

The full-court press the Auburn women’s basketball team brings can be physically and mentally exhausting for teams to play against. Alabama knew this. They had to have the mentality to fight, something Lewis conveyed to the media after the game. 

“It takes all five to beat [Auburn],” Lewis said. “It takes all five to beat the press.”

Alabama rose to the occasion. 

To start the game, Alabama went on an 11-0 run before Auburn called their first timeout. The team was getting lanes inside and shots on the outside. Auburn’s Unique Thompson was rendered ineffective on defense early on in the matchup. 

As the first quarter went on, Auburn settled into their defense and forced Alabama to take contested shots. Auburn cut into Alabama’s lead, with the Tigers narrowing the Tide’s lead to seven points at the end of the first half. The Crimson Tide had a tough time putting Auburn away. Auburn kept pressuring Alabama on defense while going on scoring runs to inch closer and closer to closing the gap. 

But Alabama kept moving the finish line away from Auburn. 

Late in the fourth quarter, Auburn cut the lead to three points. Alabama junior guard Megan Abrams hit the layup and drew the foul to, once again, extend Alabama’s lead. Abrams missed the free throw, but an offensive rebound by junior forward Allie Craig Cruce set up a corner three from senior forward Jasmine Walker, which extended the lead to seven. 

2: Jordan Is Rolling 

Against a tough, defensive team like Auburn, leaders on the team need to show up and give the team the confidence needed to win. 

That person was Jordan Lewis. 

Lewis has been spectacular in conference play this season, averaging 20.5 points per game so far. Sunday afternoon, Lewis co-led with senior forward Ariyah Copeland with 19 points. She also had eight assists and eight rebounds, ever-so-close to her first triple double of the season. Lewis’s determination is something Alabama head coach Kristy Curry tried to preach to all her players this week. 

“I tried to express during the game that toughness, not just physical toughness, but mental toughness,” Curry said. “Second was going to be the poise and the character that we need to display.”

Lewis displayed plenty of toughness digging for balls, creating steals and taking shots. Lewis was a problem Auburn could not solve all afternoon. Her level reaches another gear against conference and fans should look forward to that continuing in the future. 

Alabama moves to 12-2 on the season, 5-2 in SEC games. Their next game is against #12 Kentucky in Rupp Arena.