Alabama women’s basketball suffered its eighth conference loss Wednesday night at the hands of the No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks, 74-43. After defeating Auburn 75-68, the Crimson Tide have dropped two straight. 

“Obviously, South Carolina is the No. 1 team in the country,” Alabama head coach Kristy Curry said. “Their size and their depth is amazing. I thought we really had trouble with their size.” 

The shooting woes continued for Alabama. The Crimson Tide shot 27% from the floor and 25% from 3-point range. The Gamecocks were unforgiving on the defensive end, holding Alabama to 50 points or fewer for just the second time this season. The Lady Volunteers held Alabama to 44 points on Dec. 30, 2021. 

Alabama guard Brittany Davis led the Crimson Tide in scoring with 20 points. No other Alabama player scored in the double digits. Guard JaMya Mingo-Young was aggressive on the glass, snagging 10 rebounds. 

“Mingo was amazing on the glass and Brittany really found her shot,” Curry said. “[I’m] really proud of those two, how they came out and battled.” 

Alabama’s bench once again got little production, scoring only four points. South Carolina’s bench, however, scored 30 points. 

It was a big night for the Gamecocks, especially for guards Zia Cooke and Aliyah Boston. Both combined for 34 of South Carolina’s 81 points. Boston also recorded her 15th consecutive double-double, with 20 points and 10 rebounds. 

As expected, South Carolina came out hot. The Gamecocks scored four straight buckets to jump to a 9-2 lead early in the first quarter before Curry called a timeout. The timeout wasn’t helpful as the Gamecocks extended their lead to 17-4 halfway through the first quarter. Cooke was lights out in the first quarter. She shot 100% from 2-point and 3-point range. 

By the time the first 10 minutes were over, Alabama was down 17 points in an energetic Colonial Life Arena. 

South Carolina became more dominant on the defensive end of the court in the second quarter. The Crimson Tide only scored five points in the second frame. Alabama went 1-for-16 from the floor and missed all six 3-point attempts made in the second quarter. 

“I thought we missed shots, though,” Curry said. “We’re on the road, in this environment, you just got to make some open looks.” 

Down 29 at the start of the second half, Alabama made some adjustments offensively to try to break down South Carolina’s defense. The Crimson Tide attempted some mid-range jump shots and more baskets inside the paint. Mingo-Young and guard Hannah Barber also started to find their groove. 

But South Carolina clamped down again. 

The Gamecocks held Alabama to 17 points in the third quarter and any chance of a massive upset was shut down. 

Alabama will have to turn the page on this loss quickly as the team travels to Nashville, Tennessee, to take on the Lady Commodores. Tipoff from the Vanderbilt University Memorial Gym is set for 2 p.m. CT, and the game will be broadcast on SEC Network.