Alabama
16-11,6-8SEC
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Mississippi State
23-5,11-3SEC
Megan Abrams' Buzzer-Beating Tip-In Propels Alabama in Upset Victory Over No. 9/9 Mississippi State in Starkville
2/23/2020 6:59:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Crimson Tide completed the comeback after trailing by 13 in the fourth quarter
STARKVILLE, Miss. – With the game tied at 64-64 and five seconds on the clock, sophomore Megan Abrams came flying in from the backside to tip in a missed layup and give Alabama the 66-64 victory over No. 9/9 Mississippi State on Sunday afternoon inside Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Miss.
MEGAN ABRAMS AT THE BUZZER!!
— Alabama Women's Basketball (@AlabamaWBB) February 23, 2020
DOWN GOES No. 9 Mississippi State!!#RollTide #GritAndGratitude ???? pic.twitter.com/Hrkak4FuZL
The win marks the first time the Crimson Tide (16-11, 6-8 SEC) has defeated the Bulldogs (23-5, 11-3 SEC) in Starkville since 2011. It also snapped a six-game losing streak to MSU. The win over a top-10 opponent is the Tide's first since Alabama defeated No. 9 Kentucky, 57-55, on Jan. 23, 2014 in Lexington.
The Tide was led by junior Jasmine Walker who had all 20 of her points in the second half. In the final 20 minutes of play, Walker went 8-of-11 from the floor, including going 4-of-4 from beyond the arc. Redshirt junior Jordan Lewis continued her stellar play with 17 points, while senior Cierra Johnson had an all-around performance with 10 points, eight assists and eight rebounds off the bench.
.@TheRealJuice40 with ALL 20 of her points in the 2nd half!! ????#RollTide #GritAndGratitude ???? pic.twitter.com/ceTinwk9dL
— Alabama Women's Basketball (@AlabamaWBB) February 23, 2020
From Coach Curry
- "I'm just so happy for our kids and that's what it's all about," said head coach Kristy Curry. "There's nothing better than getting a big road win and seeing our players get to celebrate. They've been so close all season against really good teams and we've just been right there. Anytime you can come out on the road in a hostile environment, in front of a big crowd which is great for women's basketball, and get a win, it's great for our kids who absolutely deserve it."
Quarter-by-Quarter
- The Tide jumped out to a 5-0 lead before the Bulldogs responded with an 8-0 run. MSU controlled the remainder of the period and led 19-11 after the first 10 minutes of action.
- Alabama hung tough with the Bulldogs in the second. UA trailed by as many as 13 in the quarter but did not go away as Mississippi State held the 37-27 edge at the halftime break.
- After being held scoreless in the first half, Walker started to heat up in the third quarter. Walker scored 10 points in the frame including a three-pointer with 1:31 to go to cut the deficit to 47-45. State netted the final four points of the quarter to make it 51-45 heading into the fourth.
- MSU continued its scoring run in the fourth quarter, quickly ballooning the lead 58-45 with 8:41 on the clock. The Tide never backed down as Walker went on a 10-0 run to pull the Tide back within two with 5:26 to go.
- Alabama took its first lead since the first quarter when senior Ashley Knight converted on a second-chance layup to put UA up 64-63 with 1:19 on the clock. Later on, a Bulldog free throw tied it up at 64-64 with five seconds to go before Abrams' tip-in sealed the road win for the Crimson Tide.
10-straight points from Big 40!!! ??????
— Alabama Women's Basketball (@AlabamaWBB) February 23, 2020
We've cut it back to ?? once again!
Q4 - 5:16 | ?? 58 ?? 56#RollTide #GritAndGratitude ???? pic.twitter.com/hZfmcyHkKO
Player Spotlight
- After struggling in Thursday's game against Florida, Johnson bounced back in a big way after leading the team in rebounds and assists. Her eight assists were a career high, while the eight rebounds tied a season high.
- Walker finished the game 8-of-16 from the floor and 4-of-7 from the three-point line. It was the second time this season the Montgomery native scored 20 points or more. She also tied a season high in steals with four.
Key Stats
- The Tide began got back in the game with its three-point shooting, while going 9-of-14 (64 percent) from the beyond the arc and holding State to just 1-of-8 (12.5 percent) from the three-point line.
- Mississippi State came into Sunday's game first in the conference in forcing turnovers and after forcing 12 Alabama miscues in the first half, UA took care of the ball and only turned the ball over three more times in the second 20 minutes.
- In the second half, Alabama shot 50 percent (15-of-30) from the floor while holding Mississippi State to 39 percent (11-of-28).
Up Next
- Alabama will take to the road once again to play No. 16/17 Texas A&M for the second time this season and the first in College Station, Texas. Tipoff between the Crimson Tide and Aggies is at 6 p.m. CT and will air live on SEC Network.
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.
