Alabama
2-2,0-0SEC
Utah
5-0,0-0Pac-12
Alabama Women’s Basketball Upset Attempt of No. 17 Utah Comes up Short in 93-86 Defeat
11/21/2022 6:02:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Brittany Davis and Aaliyah Nye combined to score 40 points in the loss
NASSAU, Bahamas – The Alabama women's basketball team battled the No. 17-ranked Utah Utes on Monday, falling 93-86 in the Tide's opening game of the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship.
Alabama had four players score in double figures as Brittany Davis posted 23 points to lead all scorers while adding five assists and three rebounds. Aaliyah Nye notched her second consecutive double-figure game, going 5-of-7 from beyond the arc for a 17-point game. Loyal McQueen and Megan Abrams both scored 15 points in the game.
Utah was led by a 21-point, four-rebound performance from Gian Kneepkens. Kneepkens made 8-of-8 free throws in the game as the Utes shot 27-of-28 from the charity stripe.
Alabama Head Coach Kristy Curry Said
"So it was a fun game. Not so fun the outcome but I loved our team today. I thought we did so many good things. You know to have three more field goals (than Utah), and you know the difference was the free throw line. We were 12-of-14 and they were 27-of-28. I thought we missed a couple shots late that normally we make and I thought Aalyiah Nye being lost for the game hurt. We just weren't able to get enough stops without putting them on the free throw line. To play the No. 17 in the team in the country, it was just a completely different effort from South Florida, who I think is a tournament team. I told our team a few minutes ago that this schedule was put in place to make January less difficult and to be more prepared. I loved who they were trying to be today and now we have to let this go at midnight and get ready for the next one. That's the joy of the game. The game just continues to give and it's all in our response when it gives back another opportunity to play so quickly."
Game Stats
- Davis (23) and Nye (17) tallied 40 of the Crimson Tide's 86 points in the game
- The 23-point performance was the third 20+ point game this season for Davis as she led all players from the floor
- Nye captured her second consecutive double-figure game as she went 5-of-7 from distance
- Utah made 27-of-28 free throws in the game including knocking down 15-of-15 in the second half
- Alabama forced 21 turnovers to pace the game in points off turnovers 25-17
- UA also led the Utes in three pointers, 8-6, points off the bench, 32-28, and blocks, 4-1
How It Happened
- Alabama knocked down the first eight points of the game with Nye and Barker hitting threes and Davis driving in for a layup after a steal from Barker
- The hot start continued as Alabama built its lead to 21-14 with 3:20 remaining in the first quarter
- Back-to-back three pointers from Nye and a pair of jump shots from Loyal McQueen gave Alabama a 31-23 advantage at the end of the opening stanza
- Nye hit her third consecutive shot from distance to open the second quarter for the Tide
- UA built to its largest lead of the half (40-29) with just over seven minutes to play, but a 12-2 run by the Utes over the next 3:12 minutes made it a one-point game (42-41)
- Alabama closed the half with a 52-48 advantage with Davis (15) and Nye (12) scoring 27 of Tide's first-half points as McQueen added 10 points
- Nye went 4-of-5 from distance, while Davis added four assists to the half
- Nye again opened up the scoring for the Tide, recording the first three points in the third quarter to aid UA in a 7-2 run (59-50)
- Utah jumped out of a 61-55 UA advantage to score six unanswered to tie the game at 61-61 at the 5:30 mark before eventually taking their first lead of the game at 66-65 with 2:38 remaining in the quarter
- The Utes would outshoot the Tide 9-3 to close the third quarter with a 75-68 lead
- Six straight points by Megan Abrams brought UA within five (81-76 with 6:52 to play
- Alabama would come within five points (87-82) with 1:48 on the clock but the Utes would hold a seven-point advantage at the end of the game
Next Up
- Alabama will face Wake Forest on Wednesday, Nov. 23 at 10 a.m. CT on the final day of the Pink Flamingo Championship
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