Seniors Shine in Alabama Women's Basketball's Senior Day Win over Mississippi State, 71-63
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — On the day used to honor the three Alabama seniors on the women's basketball team, Ariyah Copeland, Jordan Lewis and Jasmine Walker further cemented their legacies in program history.
Alabama beat Mississippi State 71-63 in Coleman Coliseum, for its first home win against the Bulldogs since 2014, and completed the season sweep.
More importantly, the Crimson Tide moved to 15-6 overall and 8-6 in conference play. The eight conference wins are the most in regular season play for Alabama since 1998, and should all but guarantee a spot in the NCAA tournament.
"I'm so proud of our seniors for the way they performed on a senior day that can be so emotional and just drain a lot of your energy, but man they handled it so maturely and I'm just so proud of my team," Alabama coach Kristy Curry said.
Copeland, Lewis and Walker were all honored before the game with video tributes from their families, and the traditional framed jerseys as part of the Senior Day festivities.
Lewis and Walker set the tone early with each making a three-pointer in the first quarter and combined to go 6-for-10 from behind the arc.
Copeland was having a slower scoring night until the fourth quarter, when she exploded with 11 points over the final minutes. She earned her eighth double-double of the season, finishing with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
"I just try to do whatever I see is needed," Copeland said. "Obviously Jordan and Jas were hot, so I wasn't really needed at the time, so I was just trying to get rebounds."
Walker finished with 20 points and nine rebounds, and Lewis had 15 points.
The three seniors said they have enjoyed leading the team together and were all complimentary of what the program has meant to them.
"Coach Curry, the staff, the school the community, everyone has challenged me to be a better person. I think I've grown into a better leader," Lewis said. "I don't think there's a better place place or university that I could've gone to."
The Alabama-native Walker started her career at Florida State before transferring to Alabama after one season.
"Picking the University of Alabama has been one of the best decisions of my life, Walker said. "I feel like they molded me into the leader I am today. Playing alongside with them has been fun, I've enjoyed every bit of the ride of us."
Next up, Alabama hosts No. 5 Texas A&M on Thursday at 6 p.m.
"We're not done yet," Walker said. "We've still got a lot of games left and a lot of playing to do."
