Alabama Women's Basketball Quickly Eliminated from SEC Tournament
Alabama basketball's visit in the Women's SEC Tournament in Greenville, S.C., was a short one as the Crimson Tide was quickly bounced by Tennessee 83-61 on Friday afternoon.
Jewel Spear, who was limited to just five points when the teams played in the regular season, was a perfect 6-for-6 in 3-point shooting en route to scoring 24 points. Rickea Jackson added 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the fifth-seeded Volunteers advanced and will play No. 1 South Carolina on Saturday at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C.
Previously, the only player in tournament history who had shot 5-for-5 or better from behind the arc was Vanderbilt's Christina Wirth against Florida in 2007.
Sarah Ashlee Barker led Alabama with 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Loyal McQueen netted 14 points, while Karly Weathers had nine points, five boards and four steals.
"I think Tennessee played great today. Rickea Jackson and Jewel Spear played well, and they were a handful for us. We never found a solution for those two today and then we didn’t rebound the ball like we did when we played them in Tuscaloosa,” Alabama head coach Kristy Curry said. “I think on a day like today, a lot of times you come in here and talk about what you don’t do, but I think you give credit to Tennessee today. I don’t want today to take away from what these kids accomplished in the regular season with 23 wins. There’s a lot of competitors and a lot of teary eyes in the locker room right now, but at the end of the day, I’m looking forward to Selection Sunday with this group because I’m proud of who they’ve been all year long.”
Tennessee (19-11) was able to take a 19-14 first-quarter lead, primarily due to outscoring Alabama 12-2 in the paint. But the Crimson Tide wasn't able to match the scoring pace, as the Lady Vols scored 23 points in the second quarter and 26 in the third when they pulled away for good.
The Vols shot 51 percent overall, and 37 percent from 3-point range, compared to 40 and 19 percent, respectfully for the Crimson Tide. Tennessee also had a 43-28 edge in rebounds.
Alabama (23-9) will find out its NCAA Tournament destination in another week.
This story will be updated.
