Alabama Athletics
Alabama Women's Basketball Completes Regular Season Sweep of Auburn, 75-68
Competitive spirit often decides the outcome of heated rivalry games, and that is especially true when Alabama and Auburn face off. Alabama women's basketball (11-8) put together a run late in the fourth quarter to prevail over Auburn for the second time this season, 75-68.
"Just really proud of our team today in a really tough environment," head coach Kristy Curry said postgame. "They showed a lot of connective-ness down the stretch, had a lot of people step up and make a lot of plays."
The first quarter saw four early lead changes, as the rival matchup did not disappoint with its level of competitiveness. Alabama was led by bench players Khyla Wade-Warren and Nia Daniel, as they combined for 11 of the Crimson Tide's 15 points in the first quarter. Statistically, Alabama and Auburn stayed evenly matched, as did the score. The game was knotted at 15 following the first quarter.
Auburn grabbed an advantage in the second quarter with its presence in transition. The Tigers posted 24 points in the paint in the first half, and the Crimson Tide had a field goal drought that lasted throughout the final 3:47 of the half. Despite the lack of scoring from the field, Alabama was able to stay in contention, trailing 36-31 entering the break.
The balanced scoring from the Tigers allowed them to build their halftime lead, but Alabama did not let the game get away.
Veteran guards Hannah Barber and Megan Abrams sprung for a 6-0 run, and Brittany Davis hit her first three of the game with 6:26 on the clock in the third quarter to tie the game.
Barber nailed a corner three off an in-bounds play, giving the Crimson Tide its first lead of the second half, 48-46 with 3:13 remaining in the third. Three shots made from deep along with nine made free throws helped Alabama regain momentum in the third quarter, as the Crimson Tide was able to grab a 55-54 lead entering the final period.
Early on in the fourth, Auburn was able to regain the lead and challenge Alabama. The Tigers got up by seven points at 40-33, and that is where Alabama's veteran play began to shine through.
The turning point for the Crimson Tide came from its leading scorer, Brittany Davis, who had an incredible second half. Davis made a three at the 4:01 mark to push the Alabama lead to 67-63.
Alabama locked in defensively, and the Crimson Tide amazingly did not allow an Auburn field goal for over four minutes in the final stretch. This lead to a 10-1 Crimson Tide run in the final minutes, as Alabama once again emerged victorious against the Auburn Tigers.
Davis had 24 points on the afternoon, leading all scorers. The second half was where she really took over, posting 15 points in the final two quarters. She added eight rebounds to her impressive day, leading Alabama to the win.
"Brittany was fearless, really came out and was the aggressor," Curry said. "As much as I'm proud of her numbers offensively, what Brittany did defensively today was as good as I've seen."
Wade-Warren finished with 15 points off the bench in 28 minutes of play.
"Khyla is a player that continues to come to work everyday," Curry said. "She just gets better and better... her free throw line, her ability to get there, she was just so solid on both ends of the floor and stepped up big today."
It is Alabama's second victory in conference play on the season (2-5), both coming against Auburn this month. It snaps a five game losing streak for the Crimson Tide, and it extends Auburn's losing streak to six games.
Final Stats
