Alabama
18-13
Southern
17-14
Team Stats
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Alabama Women’s Basketball Downs Southern, 69-56, in First Round WNIT Action
3/14/2018 10:06:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Crimson Tide broke the game open in the second half, outscoring the Jaguars 36-26 over the last two quarters
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama women's basketball team used a strong second half to beat Southern, 69-56, in the first round of the Women's National Invitation Tournament Wednesday night in Coleman Coliseum.
"I thought we did a good job in the second half of defending the three better," head coach Kristy Curry said. "We only gave up two in the second half, and then out-rebounded them by 26. I thought our shot selection was better in the second half. We played inside-out off the dribble and in our posts. We had some open looks from playing inside-out and Hannah (Cook) had a big second half with 15 points. Ashley (Williams) was doing what a senior does this time of year with a double-double and I thought it was a good team effort."
Leading by three points at halftime, the Crimson Tide came out of the gate hot in the second half and led by as many as 15 in the third quarter before closing out with a 13-point win. Senior Ashley Williams led the way for Alabama with her 19th-career double-double and fifth in her last six games, tallying 19 points and 12 rebounds. Senior Hannah Cook added 15 points, all of which came in the second half, including going 3-of-5 from beyond the three-point line. Sophomore Jordan Lewis also scored in the double figures, totaling 11 points.
Alabama posted a significant differential on the glass, outrebounding Southern, 50-26. In addition to Williams' 12, sophomore Jasmine Walker grabbed eight, freshman Ariyah Copeland seven and Cook six.
While Alabama never trailed in the game and led by as many as 10 in the first quarter, Southern kept coming back, narrowing the lead to three going into halftime. In the second half, after the Tide led by 15 with just under three minutes to play in the third quarter, the Jaguars whittled the UA lead down to six with 7:35 left in the fourth quarter before the Tide put the game away for good.
The Tide will face Central Florida next after the Golden Knights downed Jacksonville, 65-60, in first round action. Alabama will face UCF Sunday, March 18 at 2 p.m. in Coleman Coliseum.
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