Slow Start Too Much for No. 19 Alabama to Overcome against No. 2 South Carolina

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- No. 19 Alabama would love to have a do-over of the first four minutes of Thursday’s game against No. 2 South Carolina in women’s college basketball action.

After a quick Alabama bucket to open the game, the Gamecocks went on a 10-0 run while the Crimson Tide was 0-for-8 shooting and that proved to be the difference as South Carolina won 76-58, taking its sixth straight win over a ranked opponent.

Alabama (16-3, 3-2 SEC) hung with the Gamecocks (17-1, 5-0) the rest of the game, but never closed the deficit to more than four points.

“This group plays really gritty and hard, but we just had too many mistakes that we couldn’t overcome,” Alabama coach Kristy Curry said.

Zaay Green and Essence Cody each scored 15 points to lead Alabama. Aaliyah Nye scored 12.

Joyce Edwards scored 21 points to lead South Carolina. Milay Fulwiley had 16 points while Chloe Kitts scored 10 points with 13 rebounds. Te-Hina Paopao added 11.

Alabama was off the mark, going 5 of 18 in the first quarter. Poor shooting wasn’t the only reason for slow start. South Carolina was quicker in the paint offensively, scoring easy layups. On the other end, the Gamecocks locked down the Crimson Tide, forcing tough shots and not allowing second-chance points.

Alabama found its footing and fought back, getting to within four points in the second quarter, but the Gamecocks quickly went back up by 12 to squash the Crimson Tide’s momentum.

The Crimson Tide clawed back again in the fourth quarter, closing to within five points before South Carolina surged ahead by nine and later closed out the final four minutes with a 12-2 run.

“We cut it to five and miss two free throws—goodness gracious,” Curry said. “Maybe I should have done a better job down the stretch to help them. We’re going to continue to work and grow.”

South Carolina dominated the boards with 51 to Alabama’s 34. Three-point shooting was bad for both teams. Alabama was an abysmal 4 of 22 while South Carolina was 3 of 20.

Another area where Alabama was outgunned was bench scoring. The Tide had just two points off the bench, which came late in the fourth quarter. South Carolina had 43.

"Their second group is as good as their first group,” Curry said. “That’s something that makes them special. Sometimes it’s not the first wave that gets you, it’s the second wave. Their bench really was the difference.”

Maybe the result would have been different had the Crimson Tide’s second-leading scorer been on the court. Sarah Ashlee Barker has a lower-leg injury and hasn’t played since Jan. 2.

“Injuries are part of the game and there are no excuse, but I know when she is back, we are going to be that much better,” Curry said.