Alabama
15-5,2-3SEC
No. 10/9 LSU
17-2,4-1SEC
Alabama Falls at Home to No. 10/9 LSU, 78-58
1/18/2024 11:59:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Crimson Tide held a one-point halftime lead but the Tigers’ second half proved too much
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama women's basketball team (15-5, 2-3 SEC) held a halftime lead over the No. 10/9 LSU Tigers Thursday night inside Coleman Coliseum, however, could not maintain the momentum and fell, 78-58.
The Crimson Tide opened strong and was able to claim a 35-34 lead after the first two quarters of play, but allowed 26 points to the Tigers in the third quarter helping lead to the defeat.
Aaliyah Nye scored 18 points to lead Alabama, all of which were scored in the first half, while Loyal McQueen added 15. Essence Cody paced Alabama with eight rebounds.
The Tigers (17-2, 4-1 SEC) were led by Angel Reese (20 points, 16 rebounds) and Aneesah Morrow (20 points, 12 rebounds and 2 assists) each recording a double-double respectively.
Head Coach Kristy Curry Postgame Comments
"As good as our first half was, our second half was even worse, the opposite direction. We have to learn how to put four quarters together. Credit goes to LSU, they dominated the paint and dominated the glass in the third quarter and we weren't able to recover from it. We will continue to learn and grow and be better. I believe in this team. I believe in who we can become and every goal that we have in place can still be accomplished."
"I want to end by saying how much I appreciate the crowd. Thank you for supporting our program! Obviously, we wish that was the way it is every single night and I think that this team deserves it. We play Kentucky at home on Jan. 28 at 4 p.m., and we would love to have every one of those fans back in here to support this team because they deserve it."
Game Stats
- The game was played in front of a program-record 5,575 fans that packed Coleman Coliseum
- Alabama shot 29 percent (15-52) from the floor, 25 percent (5-20) from deep and 82 percent (23-28) from the stripe
- In comparison, LSU shot 38 percent (26-69) from the floor, 29 percent (4-14) from range and 71 percent (22-31) from the line
- Alabama was on fire to begin the game, shooting 40.7 percent from the floor and 35.7 percent from beyond the arc (5-14) in the first half
- It was a much different story in the second half, as the Tigers limited the Tide to just four made field goals, 16.0 percent shooting from the field while missing all five of its three-point attempts
- UA trailed in almost all statistical categories, however, held an 18-13 lead on fast break points
- The contest included nine lead changes and eight ties
How It Happened
- After going down seven early, Bama scored the games next nine points, thanks to a pair of treys from Aaliyah Nye, before ending the quarter up one-point (16-15)
- Nye scored eight of the Tide's 16 first quarter points
- With two minutes left in the half and the Tide trailing 34-27, Nye scored five points and McQueen added a trey to end the half on an 8-0 run to give their team a 35-34 lead at intermission
- Nye led all scorers at the half with a game-high 18 points, cashing in on four three-pointers
- The first half was a back-and-forth affair, featuring eight ties and eight lead changes
- UA lost its momentum coming out of the locker rooms, getting outscored by 16 points in the third quarter (26-10) headed into the final frame down 15, 60-45
- LSU outscored Alabama 18-13 in the final frame to result in the final score
Next Up
- Alabama returns to action Sunday to square off against in-state rival Auburn inside Neville Arena in Auburn, Ala.
- The Crimson Tide will face the Tigers at 2 p.m. CT with the contest being streamed on SEC Network+
For all the latest information on the team, follow @AlabamaWBB on X, Instagram, and Facebook. General athletic news can be found at UA_Athletics on X and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.
-UA-
