Alabama Women's Basketball Improves to 5-0 with 78-61 Victory at Mercer
MACON, Ga. – Ariyah Copeland tied her career high in points with 26 to lead Alabama women’s basketball offensively in its 78-61 victory over Mercer on Sunday at Hawkins Arena.
The victory moved the Crimson Tide to 5-0 on the season, while the loss dropped the Bears to 3-3.
Alabama had a huge first quarter, scoring 23 points on 70 percent shooting, while limiting Mercer to only seven points. The Tide never trailed in the game and led by as many as 25 points late in the contest.
Joining Copeland in double figures was Jasmine Walker with 15, Jordan Lewis with 13 and Destiny Rice with 11, which was a career high for her. Walker added a game-high 12 rebounds to record her second double-double of the season and 12th of her career, while Lewis and Hannah Barber dished out five assists each.
As a team, the Tide out-rebounded the Bears, 44-32, and scored 40 points in the paint compared to Mercer’s 12. Alabama also had 17 points off turnovers compared to the Bears’ zero.
“We felt like we had to improve on how we started both halves, and our kids did a great job of that today and executed the game plan well," Coach Kristy Curry said in a statement. "We had great offensive balance with four in double figures, led by Ariyah’s dominant performance in the paint. We were able to change our defenses and keep a really good Mercer team from executing. It wasn’t the best day for us at the free throw line, and we missed some open looks, but I’m proud of the way we rebounded the ball and played defense today.”
News and Notes
- Alabama had four score in double figures for the second time this season. The first occurrence came in the win over USC Upstate.
- While it may not have been the Tide’s most productive outing at the line, Alabama still managed to get there 32 times. This season, Alabama has made 122 trips to the charity stripe, while its opponents have gone only 56 times.
- The Tide is 5-0 for the first time since 2016.
