Seniors Lead the Way in Alabama Women’s Basketball’s 88-66 Win over Houston
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama’s trio of seniors in Ariyah Copeland, Jordan Lewis and Jasmine Walker combined for 65 points and 26 rebounds in the Crimson Tide’s 88-66 victory over Houston on Sunday in Coleman Coliseum.
Walker led the team in scoring for the second-consecutive game, finishing with a career-high 25 points, while Copeland recorded Alabama’s first double-double of the season with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Lewis chipped in 20 points, going a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line. In all, the Tide had eight different scorers, including Myra Gordon with her first collegiate basket.
The charity stripe was crucial for Alabama in its win as the Tide hit 32 of its 38 attempts to finish 84.2 percent for the game.
Head Coach Kristy Curry
“We’re really proud of our team. We showed a tremendous amount of grit against an American Conference team that’s going to win a lot of games this year. They’re big, physical and their transfers have made them much better. They’ve got some experience. I just really liked the grittiness about our team today. We were led by our big three. Jasmine [Walker] had a career-high. We were face-guarded and double-teamed all day. Ariyah Copeland had 18 and 14. I can’t say enough about that effort. Then, Jordan Lewis with 22 [points] and 9-for-9 from the free throw line. It was just a great, gritty effort. When we seemed to struggle early with De’Sha going down, you could tell we were a little bit shook and then we missed some shots. But, our kids put 88 [points] up against a team that’s good defensively. We were really proud of our grittiness today.”
News and Notes
- Alabama is 2-0 to start the season for the first time since 2017 when it began the year 4-0
- The Crimson Tide leads the series with Houston 4-3 and has won the last three in a row
- Alabama’s 32 made free throws were the most since it had 36 against Ole Miss on Jan. 5, 2017
- Lewis and Walker became the first Tide tandem to record 20-plus point scoring efforts since Megan Abrams and Brittany Davis did so against UNC on Dec. 15, 2019
- Lewis has scored 20 or more points in 11 games, while Walker has done so on eight occasions
- Copeland recorded her ninth career double-doubles with the 18-point, 14-rebound performance
- Six different players went to the free throw line for the Crimson Tide including Copeland (10-12), Lewis (9-9), Walker (6-8), Hannah Barber (4-4), Abrams (3-4), and Gordon (0-1)
- De’Sha Benjamin went down at the 9:27 mark in the first quarter with an injury and would not return for the game
Up Next
- The Crimson Tide closes out its three-game homestand on Wednesday, Dec. 2 against USC Upstate. Tip is set for 6 p.m. CT in Coleman Coliseum.
- Tickets are available through the Alabama Ticket Office (205-348-2262), located in the lobby of Coleman Coliseum, and online atwww.rolltide.com.
- The Alabama-USC Upstate matchup will be streamed on SEC Network+.
