Alabama Women’s Basketball Secures Third SEC Victory Over Ole Miss, 57-56

After trailing early, the Crimson Tide fought back during fourth quarter to claim the win

The Alabama women’s basketball team drained three-consecutive 3-point shots to take the lead during the fourth quarter en route to a 57-56 victory at Ole Miss on Sunday. 

The Crimson Tide was trailing by seven before mounting the wining comeback.

Five Alabama players scored eight or more points. Junior Ariyah Copeland led the team with 11 points with sophomore De’Sha Benjamin and senior Ashley Knight followed with 10. 

Knight also threw up eight boards while blocking three shots. Sophomore Megan Abrams contributed nine points and three assists.

“I thought our bench really helped us,” Crimson Tide coach Kristy Curry said in a statement. “Cierra (Johnson) came off the bench and really played well. She made some great decisions, played smart and showed some maturity. 

"We have some kids that need to play better earlier in the game and down the stretch I went with Cierra’s experience. De’Sha was really good today, we shortened our bench in the second half and I think that was the difference.”

Alabama went 14-of-17 from the free-throw line, while Ole Miss only had three attempts. 

The Crimson Tide also won the battle in the paint by out-rebounding the Rebels 39-30.

The victory marked the third SEC win for the Crimson Tide (13-9, 3-6 SEC) while the Rebels (7-15, 0-9 SEC) are still seeking their first SEC victory for the season.

Alabama started off neck-and-neck with Ole Miss, trailing only 18-15 after the first ten minutes of action. The Crimson Tide took the lead by five in the second quarter before Ole Miss interrupted with just two minutes to go in the half. Benjamin threw in a two point shot which pushed the Crimson Tide to a 30-30 tie at the break.

Ole Miss broke the tie during the third quarter after nailing five points. The Rebels maintained the 51-44 lead with over seven minutes to go before Alabama knocked three straight 3-pointers to take the 53-51 lead. They were the only shots from beyond the arc Alabama made, out of 20 overall.

Copeland scored two buckets in two minutes which pushed Alabama to the 57-54 lead as Ole Miss scored just eight points during the final quarter

Alabama travels to Kentucky to face the Wildcats for the second time this season on Thursday. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT (SEC Network+).