Tide’s Jenkins wants to keep season going a little longer

TUSCALOOSA | The shot was just the way she wanted it, but bounced around the rim numerous times before falling out and being grabbed by an opposing player. The look on her face told it all. It just wasn’t going to be her day or the University of Alabama women’s basketball team’s.

Sophomore forward Tierney Jenkins still grimaces in disbelief about that miss Sunday against Mississippi State, when the Crimson Tide collapsed in the second half for a 67-49 loss after having a small halftime lead.

“I really got better in some things, but I sometimes feel like I’ve been inconsistent this year,” Jenkins said. “So that’s like a (major) thing I hate.

“I feel like I kind of let my teammates down.”

That’s exactly what Alabama has to keep from happening in Little Rock, Ark., or its season will be over.

Today, the Tide will open the single-elimination SEC Tournament against defending national champion Tennessee, in the No. 12 vs. No. 5 matchup.

Needless to say, Alabama will need some shots to fall.

“For the most part, we played awful hard, and that’s about what I expect the team to continue to do, keep giving that maximum effort,” coach Wendell Hudson said. “In this league, you have to get that and hope things fall the right way.

“I love tournament play myself because that one shot, in and out and you’re done, will give you an opportunity to do some things.”

When they played during the regular season, on Feb. 12, the host Lady Vols pulled away with a 14-0 run in the second half en route to a 80-61 victory. Junior Dedrea Magee led the Tide with a career-high 21 points and eight boards, and sophomore Varisia Raffington contributed 19 points.

Jenkins, who leads the team in scoring with 11.3 points despite usually coming off the bench, played only two minutes.

“We learned that we could play with them,” Jenkins said. “Sometimes our intensity wasn’t there, but for the most part we played with them pretty well.

“We think we’re really, really close and we don’t expect to go home Thursday. We want to stay in the tournament as long as possible.”

Perfect examples of Jenkins’ contrasting influence were seen against Ole Miss on Feb, 19, and MSU.

Against the Rebels, she had 25 points and 14 rebounds, most during the final stretch when Alabama pulled out its lone SEC victory to snap a 25-game losing streak against conference opponents.

It marked the ninth time she led the Tide in scoring, and her seventh double-double ranked among the league leaders both overall and in conference play.

“Tierney Jenkins played as well as she can play,” Hudson said after the game. “The last five minutes, she got every rebound.

“Tierney has a lot of talent, and we’ve talked to Tierney about this all year long, that stretch is there when she wants to take off and rest a little bit, she did not take a play off and rest. She could be a good player if she plays that way. She could be a great player actually.”

Against the Bulldogs, she missed all seven shots from the field, was 3-for-4 from the free-throw line for three points, and bagged nine rebounds over 28 minutes. Consequently, Mississippi State had a 26-7 advantage in bench scoring.

This is different, though, with the No. 19 Lady Vols having won 34 straight over the Tide (dating back to March 3, 1984), and 41 of 43.

This is all or nothing.

“We just have to go in positive and have a good day of practice, and go in with the intensity and confidence that we can play with anyone in the SEC Tournament,” freshman guard Ericka Russell said. “If we don’t, we won’t have our best.”

Reach Christopher Walsh at christopher.walsh@tuscaloosanews.com or at 205-722-0196.