Alabama picked up its fourth-straight SEC victory for the first time since 1998 after defeating Missouri 73-61 in the regular-season finale Sunday afternoon at Coleman Coliseum.
It’s best finish for Alabama (18-11, 8-8 SEC) since 2001-02 when the Tide ended the regular season at 7-7 in the SEC. The 18 regular-season wins are also the most by UA since the 1997-98 team.
The Tide entered Sunday’s game as the top team in the “First Four Out” according to ESPNw Bracketologist, Charlie Crème. Alabama went into the game with an RPI of 52 to go along with the 29th-toughest schedule in the country.
Senior Cierra Johnson finished with 17 points, while sophomore Megan Abrams scored 11 points. Redshirt junior Jordan Lewis and junior Ariyah Copeland added 10 points each.
“I’m just really proud of our team today, this is an emotional day,” said head coach Kristy Curry. “Our senior class has meant so much to this program. Ashley Knight broke the blocks record and has been a four-year kid that has really stood strong through so many ups and downs. Amber Richardson came in as a transfer with her work ethic and her passion, she is just a warrior and is going to go into coaching and I am so proud of her. Shelby Gibson, I mean to fight through injury after injury and to make the decision that she could no longer do it to her body. I am just so proud of what she has brought as a person and a teammate. This young lady next to me (Cierra Johnson), nobody has been through more. I’m just really proud of Cierra. There was so much going on and I thought our kids just really fought through and found a way to win and that’s a mark of a really good team.”
Johnson went 7-of-15 from the field on her way to 17 points and grabbed five rebounds. Junior Jasmine Walker had a team-high 12 rebounds and a team-high plus/minus of 14.
The Tide controlled the boards and the paint, outrebounding (40-31) and outscoring (40-24) the Tigers in the win.
Alabama shot 48 percent (27-of-56) from the floor, while the Tide defense held Missouri to 36 percent (21-of-59) from the field.
Alabama travels to Greenville, S.C., for the SEC Tournament as the No. 8 seed. The Crimson Tide plays No. 9 seed Georgia in the second round Thursday at 11 a.m. CT inside Bob Secours Wellness Arena. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network. The winner of the contest will take on No. 1 South Carolina in the quarterfinals on Friday at 11 a.m. CT.
