Alabama Women's Hoops Drops Heartbreaker In Overtime, 81-78
2/29/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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STARKVILLE, Miss. - Despite shooting lights-out in the first half and leading by as many as six points in the second period, the University of Alabama women's basketball team could not overcome a furious Mississippi State rally, falling 81-78, in a wild game at the Humphrey Coliseum.
The Bulldogs scored the final six points of the second half to force overtime, and the first four points of the extra period. The Tide had final possession of the basketball at both the end of regulation and at the end of the overtime period.
"I told our players that I don't think they brought anything back into the locker room with them today," Alabama head coach Rick Moody said. "We had some fundamental breakdowns at the end, but those things are going to happen when you have young players on the floor."
Mississippi State's Tan White tied the game at 71 after converting a conventional three-point play with less than a minute remaining; giving the Tide had an opportunity to win on the final possession. However, Dee Merriweather's desperate shot attempt as the horn sounded was no good.
State dominated early in the overtime period, jumping out to a 75-71 lead. The Tide rallied once again, but a last-second heave from beyond arc fell short, giving the Bulldogs the victory on Senior Day.
Alabama shot remarkably in the first half, connecting on 17 of 28 from the floor (60.7 percent) and 7 of 9 from three-point territory (77.8 percent). Monique Bivins accounted for 19 points in the first period alone, and the Tide owned a 44-40 advantage at the break.
Bivins led all scorers with 30 points on 13 of 26 shooting from the floor and 4 of 9 from beyond the arc. Katie Sipe nailed 6 of her 7 three-point tries, finishing with 20 points. Bivins also led the Tide on the glass, pulling down eight boards. Alabama out-rebounded the Bulldogs, 33-27, including an 11-4 advantage on the offensive glass.
White finished with 29 points, leading State in scoring. She shot 11 of 21 from the floor, including 2 of 8 from three-point territory. Jessica Carter scored 20 points, all on three-pointers, finishing 6 of 8 from beyond the arc.
Alabama closes the regular season with a 12-15 record overall and a 4-10 record in the Southeastern Conference, entering the SEC Tournament in Nashville, Tenn., as the 10th seed. The Tide will face the Ole Miss Rebels on Thursday, March 4 at 2:30 p.m. at the Gaylord Entertainment Center.
