LSU falls to the University of Alabama in women's basketball

The University of Alabama women’s basketball team defeated LSU 65-51 Thursday night in Coleman Coliseum to improve to 3-1 in Southeastern Conference play for the first time since the 1997-98 season.
“I really liked our team’s toughness tonight,” Alabama Head Coach Kristy Curry said in a news release. “There were moments where we struggled, but toughness isn’t just about getting knocked down. It’s about sprinting every possession. It’s about hands high. It’s about closing and boxing out every possession, and down the stretch, everyone did their jobs. I loved our toughness tonight. We have to defend our home court, and that’s important. I liked our growth from our first home game to tonight, and I am just really proud of our team.”
The Crimson Tide (13-4 overall, 3-1 SEC) used an 11-0 run during the last 4:06 of the game to push past the Tigers (10-5, 2-2 SEC). Alabama won its third consecutive Southeastern Conference game for the first time since 2011.
Senior leadership was key to the Alabama victory with Ashley Williams earning her 14th career double-double and second of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Hannah Cook also had 14 points along with a season-high five assists. Sophomore Jordan Lewis matched her career high in assists with eight. For the 15th time this season, eight or more Crimson Tide players scored. Alabama senior Meo Knight, a former Central Catholic standout, had three points, one rebound and two assists.
The Tide got off to a quick start by building a 13-3 lead within the first six minutes of the game. LSU battled back into the game with a buzzer-beating layup to cut its deficit to 19-16 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, LSU took the lead at 24-23 with 4:10 left in the half and pushed its advantage to 31-28 going into halftime.
Trailing 39-33 with 6:51 left in the third quarter, the Crimson Tide went on an 8-0 run to go up 41-39 with less than five minutes remaining in the third period.
LSU briefly went up, 45-44, before Williams knocked down a free throw and Cook drained a three-pointer to give the Tide a 48-45 edge heading into the last 10 minutes of play.
In the fourth, the two sides battled back-and-forth, with the Tide leading 54-51 with just more than four minutes to play. Alabama pulled away down the stretch, led by junior Shaquera Wade, who had seven of Alabama’s final 11 points to seal the victory.
The Tide will return to the road Sunday at 3 p.m. to face No. 4 Mississippi State in Starkville, Mississippi. The game will air live on ESPNU.
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