The Alabama women’s basketball team travels to Arkansas today to take on the Razorbacks. The Crimson Tide is coming off a loss to league-leading Kentucky in Lexington.
“I think this Arkansas game is going to be one of those games that really tells us where we are and a lot about ourselves,” head coach Wendell Hudson said. “We’ve probably played the best two games we’ve played in a while back-to-back against Tennessee and Kentucky, which are the top two teams in the league. We lost both of those, but the effort and playing together and doing all the things we need to do was there.”
The Tide scored 90 points against an SEC opponent for the first time since 2002 last year in Fayetteville, Ark., in its final regular season game of the 2010-2011 season. Ericka Russell led the way with 28 points, tying the Alabama record with eight three-pointers. Four other players scored in double-figures as Alabama racked in a conference victory.
“I think we match up pretty good,” Hudson said. “Coming off two games where even though we lost, we played pretty good. I think that the players feel good about themselves right now.”
Sophomore guard Jasmine Robinson said, “We’ve been coming in here pretty hard the last couple of days. We’ve been having good practices, and everybody has been cheering each other on and high-fiving each other.”
Arkansas (16-5) is standing above the fold in conference play with a 5-4 SEC record, putting them in fourth place. After a 14-point loss at Ole Miss, the Razorbacks are now on a five game winning streak. The team’s last win was a one-point, double-overtime victory over Florida at home. C’eira Rickets and Sarah Watkins lead Arkansas in scoring.
Junior guard Meghan Perkins will not be traveling with the team because of a family concern. Nevertheless, Hudson said the team is feeling better and getting stronger.
“One of the major keys is to get off to a good start and not building a hole for ourselves,” she said. “That’s one of the issues we’ve had to try to address because that’s what happens.”
“We’re trying to get our transition and our chemistry going on the floor,” Kyra Crosby, a junior forward, said. “We’ve been matching up pretty well with everybody’s team, so it just depends on us and our defense.”
Alabama will look to stop the SEC bleeding, and players say that starts with doing the basics.
“[We have to do] the little things like free throws and turnovers,” Crosby said. “If we can eliminate that, then we’ll be pretty good.”
Robinson said, “If we do the little things by boxing out and rebounding and pushing the ball and playing great defense, then that should take over everything. ”
The Tide returns home Sunday to take on Georgia at 2 p.m. in Foster Auditorium.
