In front of an energetic crowd of 1,700 fifth graders, Alabama defeated the Sam Houston State University Bearkats 84-50 on Monday. It was the Crimson Tide’s seventh straight win and the program’s 800th win. 

The Fifth Grade Fastbreak game welcomes 1,700 fifth-graders from 20 local schools. 

“[I] just want to thank every teacher, every administrator that supported our Fifth Grade Fastbreak today,” Alabama head coach Kristy Curry said. 

The game started off rocky for the Crimson Tide. SHSU has won three of its last five games. The Bearkats went on a 5-0 run to start the game while Alabama missed its first three shots.

Two successful free throw attempts from guard Brittany Davis ended the 5-0 run.Still, the Bearkats kept the pressure on Alabama. 

SHSU was aggressive on the glass, notching 11 total rebounds in the first quarter. The Bearkats scored seven points off of those rebounds. 

Alabama would not go away quietly. Center Jada Rice was a force on the backcourt. Rice had five blocks in the first quarter and finished the game with eight blocks. 

“She [Rice] did a great job,” Curry said. “We felt like one of the strengths Jada brought to our team was we were going to have some rim protection.” 

Despite trailing for over eight minutes in the first quarter, the Crimson Tide snatched away the lead at the end. Guard Taylor Sutton scored a layup to give Alabama a 15-14 advantage heading into the second quarter.

Alabama exploded in the second quarter with a 13-0 run. 

The Crimson Tide outscored the Bearkats 27-9. Alabama made 69.2% of its shots from two-point range and 50% of its shots from three-point range. 

SHSU didn’t go down easy, however. Two jumpers, a layup and a successful free throw attempt cut Alabama’s lead to 11 points. 

Unfortunately for the Bearkats, the Crimson Tide responded with a 10-0 run to end the first half. 

The Crimson Tide followed their explosive second quarter with an equally explosive third quarter. 

Alabama outscored SHSU 26-12 in the third quarter. The Crimson Tide made 52.6% of their shots from two-point range and 62.5% of their shots from three-point range. 

Guard JaMya Mingo-Young also notched her third career double-double. She finished the game with 15 points and 11 rebounds. 

“It was really great to get 800 for the players that came before us and all the hard work they put into the program,” Mingo-Young said. “It was just real special.” 

Alabama’s bench saw significant time against the Bearkats. The bench scored 21 points, and Sutton had 11 of those. 

“We’re continuing to put people in situations to grow in practice, but growth comes in games, too,” Curry said. 

Winning seven straight games is not easy, but winning 800 games is even harder. Still, the Crimson Tide found a way to achieve that landmark on Monday. 

The Crimson Tide will face Winthrop at home on Dec. 20. The game will start at 2 p.m. CT and will be on ESPN+. 

Correction: This story was corrected on Dec. 13 to reflect a change in schedule for Alabama’s next game.