Alabama
20-9,9-7SEC
Ole Miss
22-7,11-5SEC
Alabama Falls to Ole Miss, 57-55, Earns Sixth Seed in SEC Tournament
2/26/2023 7:16:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Crimson Tide earned the No. 6 seed in next week’s SEC Tournament, will face the winner of Florida and Kentucky on Thursday
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama women's basketball team fell in a 57-55 heartbreaker to Ole Miss Sunday to conclude the regular season. The game saw five ties and a lead change in the final quarter but a pair of last second free throws gave the Rebels the win.
With the loss, the Crimson Tide earned the sixth seed for the Southeastern Conference Tournament and will face the winner of 11th-seed Florida and 14th-seed Kentucky.
Alabama (20-9, 9-7 SEC) was led by a 12-point performance from Aaliyah Nye. Brittany Davis had 11 points, six boards and three assists, while both Sarah Ashlee Barker and Jada Rice tallied eight rebounds in the game. Barker added eight points and a steal, while Rice recorded six points and two blocks in the loss.
Marquesha Davis led the Rebels (22-7, 11-5 SEC) with 26 points, five rebounds and two steals. Angel Baker had 10 points and four boards, while Madison Scott had 10 points, six boards and three steals in the win.
Alabama Head Coach Kristy Curry Said
"Today is hard, but I think the most important thing is to understand the body of work and what this team has accomplished. These four folks around me (Megan Abrams, Hannah Barber, Brittany Davis and Jada Rice) will leave as one of the most special groups that's played here and have put this program in a position we haven't been in a long time. Nothing changes the opportunity to go the SEC Tournament, to compete for a championship, and the opportunity to go and compete in the NCAA Tournament, to do something that hasn't been done in a long time.
"I just want everyone to understand it didn't come down to the last minute. There were plays before that that we should have made. When life doesn't go your way, we get to play a simple game, and the qualities, the character, the perseverance that this team I know is going to respond with. I can't wait to watch the next three weeks of basketball because we still have a lot more to play. I'm really proud of this group and this team. Again, it's not okay today, but I think we all need to understand how special this group is to my right and left are."
Game Stats
- With Mississippi State's loss to LSU, Alabama finished tied for fifth in the league standings to mark the first time since the 1998-99 season that the Tide finished conference play among the top-five teams
- Alabama and Ole Miss tied five times in the fourth quarter including meeting at 55-55 with less than 30 seconds to play
- Davis finished the regular season with double figures in 15 SEC games
- Rice tallied two blocks in the game to bring her season total to 64, which ranks third all-time in Alabama history
- UA led the game in made threes (6-1), points off turnovers (17-8), second chance points (12-2), bench points (22-4), fast break points (13-6) and steals (9-7)
- Alabama shot 32.8 percent from the floor and 30 percent from distance
- Ole Miss was 42.3 percent from the field and 12.5 percent from beyond the arc
- Additionally, the Rebels went 12-of-12 from the charity stripe in the game
How It Happened
- A 6-1 run gave Ole Miss a 13-6 advantage with 1:54 remaining in the first
- With Ole Miss holding a 21-12 advantage with 6:09 before intermission, Alabama outscored the Rebels 12-4 the rest of the way to come within one point heading into the half (25-24)
- UA was led by six points and six boards from Sarah Ashlee Barker in the opening half of play
- Five straight points from Alabama gave UA its first lead in the game at 30-25 and forced a timeout by Ole Miss (6:39)
- The two teams swapped points with a layup from Loyal McQueen sending Alabama into the fourth quarter with a six-point advantage (41-35)
- An 8-2 run tied the game for Ole Miss at 43-43, with 7:43 to play, setting up the dramatic ending with the first tie of the quarter
- With the scored tied at 55-55 with three seconds on the clock, a foul sent Ole Miss' Marquesh Davis to the charity stripe, where she made both shots
- Alabama was unable to net its final shot as the Rebels took the two-point win
Next Up
- Alabama advances to the SEC Tournament as the sixth seed
- The Tide will face the winner between 11th-seed Florida and 14th-seed Kentucky on Thursday night
- The game will begin 25 minutes following the conclusion of the previous game
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
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