Alabama's Jordan Lewis and Ariyah Copeland Combine for 52 in Win at Missouri
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Jordan Lewis and Ariyah Copeland combined for 52 points to lead Alabama offensively past Missouri in the Southeastern Conference opener, 74-59, on Thursday in Mizzou Arena. Lewis finished with a career-high 27 points, while Copeland added 25, one shy of her career best. The victory brings the Crimson Tide’s overall record to 8-0, marking its best start since the 2000-01 season, while the loss dropped the Tigers to 4-2.
Joining Lewis and Copeland in double figures was Jasmine Walker, who added 14 points. Copeland and Walker also added eight boards apiece, however the game’s leading rebounder was Megan Abrams, with a career-high nine. Hannah Barber dished out a game-best six assists, while Abrams also added a trio of steals to her stat line to lead that category.
The score remained close over the opening five minutes of the game, however Missouri would end the quarter on a 9-4 run to hold the edge after the first. Much of the second went back and forth, knotting the score at 34-34 at the half.
Alabama made its run midway through the third frame, using a 12-0 run over the span of three minutes to take a 56-45 lead. The Tigers chipped away and pulled within four early in the final quarter, but another big run by the Tide quickly pushed the lead back out to double digits.
“I loved our toughness," Alabama coach Kristy Curry. "We had some adversity in the first half and battled with foul trouble, especially Jordan early. I thought our kids, in the third quarter, we were fortunate to come back out and get to the free throw line. We had only shot seven at the half, and four of those were because of odd situations. We just had to come back out and be aggressive. I thought we took better shots. I thought we got Jas a couple open looks and got her going a little bit. Jordan was unbelievable. Ariyah was amazing. Our big three really carried us today, and we are very fortunate. It’s hard to win on the road in this league, and I’m really proud of our kids today for their toughness in the second half.”
News and Notes
- Alabama has now had three different players record multiple 20-plus point games this season in Jasmine Walker (6), Ariyah Copeland (3) and Jordan Lewis (2). Hannah Barber has also added one game over 20 points to the mix.
- The Tide had another solid outing from the free throw line, connecting on 16 of 18 attempts. Jordan Lewis led the way with her 9-for-9 performance.
- UA has taken more than double the amount of free throws this season compared to its opponents (183-91).
- Alabama continued its streak of 74 or more in a game this season. The last time the Tide opened up with eight-straight was during the 1993-94 campaign when it went nine games with 74-plus points scored.
