Second Half Drought Ends Tide Home Win Streak
12/28/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
TUSCALOOSA ?? On the heels of a difficult second half on the offensive end, the Crimson Tide women’s basketball team lost its first game in Coleman Coliseum and ended its eight-game home win streak with a 65-54 loss to visiting South Dakota State in non-conference action.
“We played well enough on both ends, at times, to have a chance to win tonight,” said head coach Stephany Smith. “On the offensive end, we executed pretty well and had some good looks at the basket, but we just couldn’t get them to fall.”
Alabama, 9-5, played well early and led by as many as seven points in the first half. South Dakota State clawed back, though, overcoming some early shooting woes to earn a three-point advantage at the break.
After a brief flurry to open the second half, the Tide defense dug in its heels. Alabama held the Jackrabbits scoreless from the field for nearly four minutes following a Navonda Moore steal and coast-to-coast layup.
However, the Alabama offense was equally ineffective, and the Tide was unable to capitalize on the SDSU slump. Alabama scored just one field goal in an eight-minute span, and the visiting Jacks, a team that has received votes in the top 25 polls this season, took advantage.
“We missed a lot of layups tonight,” said Smith. “We had only six assists and 21 turnovers, but the main reason behind our lack of assists was our inability to make easy shots.”
The Tide’s offensive struggles, combined with 21 UA turnovers, gave SDSU the edge. The Jacks drilled 10 three-pointers while shooting 35.7 percent from behind the arc on the night. South Dakota State also did a much better job of getting to the line, shooting 25 free throws to Alabama’s 16.
Moore turned in a gutsy effort for her team, finishing the night with a team-high 16 points, the only Tide player in double figure scoring in the game. Moore also recorded five steals and added four rebounds in the losing effort.
With those 16 points, Moore now stands just five points shy of the 1,000-point barrier. She should become Alabama’s 21st player to reach the milestone, which was most recently eclipsed by Monique Bivins, who scored 1,174 from 2001-05.
For Alabama, Kate Mastin chipped in with nine points, while true freshman Courtney Strauthers added eight. Tamara Williams tied a career mark with eight rebounds, while Dedrea Magee played a career-high 22 minutes for the Tide.
Megan Vogel scored a game-high 24 points to go with nine rebounds for South Dakota State. Andrea Verdagen added 15 and Ashlea Muckenhirn finished with 13 points on the strength of three three-pointers.
The Tide finishes non-conference play on Saturday, Dec. 30, when the team welcomes North Dakota State into Coleman Coliseum. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
