In a hard-fought Round of 32 matchup against Louisville on Monday, Alabama lost a last-second battle 69-68.
“There’s a lot of emotion and a lot of tears,” head coach Kristy Curry said. “But I couldn’t be prouder of everything that this group has done all year long.”
The game was electric from the opening tip. A KFC Yum! Center packed with Cardinal fans was immediately one of the liveliest atmospheres Alabama has played in all season, and the competition was back and forth early on.
In the halfcourt setting, the Crimson Tide played sound defense to start but struggled to finish possessions on the boards, giving up six offensive rebounds in the first quarter while itself only grabbing five total. Rebounds have been an area of difficulty all season long, and Louisville’s length across the board made it especially hard.
Even with the rebound discrepancy, Alabama kept it competitive in the first half by making it an offensive affair. At the front of the attack were guards Diana Collins and Ace Austin, the latter of whom averages 6.6 points per game but had 12 points across the first two quarters, including four 3s on four attempts.
The Crimson Tide led at the half 35-34 off an Austin assist to forward Essence Cody that concluded the back-and-forth start, and the battle continued into the third.
“She did all the things right for us today,” guard Karly Weathers said of Austin. “As a freshman, to step into an environment and perform the way that she did is huge for us.”
For all 40 minutes, the game could be described as an offensive track meet powered by high-level shotmaking. Shooting is ultimately what kept Alabama in it, as the team fell behind by as many as 7 points late in the third and early in the fourth quarter but fought back by way of jumpshots. With the Crimson Tide trailing 56-49, it was Weathers’ turn to hit consecutive 3s, which brought the game back to a deadlock.
Down the stretch, fouls and turnovers were difference-makers. Alabama didn’t get to the line as much as it desires — Curry harps frequently on making more free throws than the other team shoots, and today her team went 4/4 while Louisville went 8/16. A few crucial possessions were lost in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, which were big factors in a game so close.
Despite falling down 69-65, the Crimson Tide kept fighting. Weathers made a heavily contested 3 with under 10 seconds to make it a 1-point game, and Louisville missed the first free throw after Alabama intentionally fouled.
The Cardinals intentionally missed the second to prevent the Crimson Tide from getting a set inbound pass, and Collins was forced to take a 3/4-court shot at the buzzer to win the game. Her shot missed right, and the season ended with the clock hitting zeroes.
“It’s more what happened early in the game,” Weathers said. “Credit to Louisville. They just made plays down the stretch. They’re a really good team.”
Austin finished as the leading scorer with 17, with Collins logging 14 and Weathers 13. Austin also led the team in rebounds with 5.
With another heartbreaking loss in the Round of 32, this chapter of Crimson Tide women’s basketball comes to a close and the coaching staff will look ahead to a year where it loses major contributors. Timmons, the season-long leading scorer, and Weathers, a four-year veteran who serves as one of the team’s most vocal leaders, both graduate and will move on to the next stage of their careers. Seniors Waiata Jennings and Ta’Mia Scott will also depart.
“They’re all four going to have their degrees, and I’m just really proud of not only the basketball piece but who they are as student-athletes. They’re the epitome of what you should be about,” Curry said. “In a year where [they and the team] weren’t supposed to be in this position, they found a way to embrace hard with just grit, love and gratitude.”
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