Alabama
5-1,0-0SEC
Northern Iowa
5-1,0-0MVC
Alabama Knocks Off Undefeated Northern Iowa in First Game of South Point Shootout
11/30/2019 2:30:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Redshirt junior Jordan Lewis had her second-straight 20-plus point performance with 23 points in the win
LAS VEGAS – Alabama earned its fifth-consecutive victory after downing undefeated Northern Iowa, 87-77, on Friday night inside South Point Arena in Las Vegas. The Crimson Tide (5-1) will move on to play USC (3-3) on Saturday night at 10 p.m. CT, while the Panthers (5-1) suffered their first loss of the year.
Redshirt junior Jordan Lewis poured in 23 points to go along with seven rebounds, four assists and four steals, while senior Cierra Johnson had 18 points and six assists off the bench. Junior Jasmine Walker came one rebound shy of a double-double with 17 points and nine rebounds.
Jordan is on ????!! She has 20 after knocking down another triple!! ??3?
— Alabama Women's Basketball (@AlabamaWBB) November 30, 2019
Q4 - 3:07 | ?? 80 UNI 66#RollTide #GritAndGratitude ???? pic.twitter.com/gvMB12x7dk
From Coach Curry
- "We were just aggressive," said head coach Kristy Curry. "Out of the gate we didn't like what we were doing defensively, and we adjusted well. I thought our kids really bought in and played hard, but I thought we were more aggressive. Northern Iowa is really good, they're going to compete for a conference championship and have a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament. These are the types of wins that you circle for March."
Quarter-by-Quarter
- The Panthers jumped out to a 9-4 lead, before the Tide went on a 6-0 run to take the 10-9 advantage with under five minutes to go in the first quarter. UNI finished the quarter strong and took the 21-16 lead into the second period.
- Alabama has dominated in the second quarter through the first five games and the trend continued on Friday night. The Tide put up 30 points in the frame, while shooting 62.5 percent (10-of-16) from the floor. Walker put UA up by its largest lead in the first half after knocking down a three-pointer with 4:16 to go before the half to make it 38-29.
- Northern Iowa battled back to tie the score at 43-43, before Lewis drained a triple just before the halftime buzzer sounded to give Alabama the 46-43 edge.
- Early on in the second half, the Tide built a double-digit lead after sophomore De'Sha Benjamin made a driving layup, extending the lead to 60-50 with 4:09 remaining on the third quarter clock. Benjamin's layup was just the start of Alabama's 12-2 run. UA lead 72-57 at the end of three periods.
- The Crimson Tide lead by double-digits for the entirety of the fourth quarter on its way to the 87-77 win.
2nd quarter, best quarter. ????
— Alabama Women's Basketball (@AlabamaWBB) November 30, 2019
?? Outscored UNI 30-22
?? 10-of-16 shooting
?? 4-of-6 from 3?#RollTide #GritAndGratitude ???? pic.twitter.com/F1iWQmWUY1
Player Spotlight
- Lewis' 23 points were just two off of tying her career-high that she set a season ago. The Windermere, Fla., was efficient from the floor, shooting 6-of-10, including going 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. Over the last two games, Lewis has been on fire, knocking down 9-of-10 three-point attempts. She also went 8-of-10 from the free throw line in the win.
- Johnson continued to provide a spark off the bench after scoring 14 points in the first 13 minutes of the game. She finished the game 6-of-9 from the floor, while tying her career high with six assists. Johnson also shot 2-of-3 from beyond the arc and 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.
- Walker put in a season-high 17 points, while shooting 50 percent (7-of-14) from the field and from the three-point line (3-of-6). Walker was key in the Tide's 27-21 rebounding advantage, grabbing a team-high nine boards.
Stats of the Game
- During its five-game win streak, Alabama is averaging 81 points per game. Against UNI, the Tide shot 53.4 percent (31-of-58) and 45 percent (9-of-20) to go along with 88.9 (16-of-18) from the free throw line.
- The Tide is outscoring opponents 145-78 in the second frame after outscoring UNI 30-22 on Friday.
Up Next
- The Tide plays its second and final game of the South Point Shootout on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 10 p.m. CT against Southern California.
For all the latest information on the team, follow AlabamaWBB on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. General athletic news can be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.
