The streak is over, again.
Alabama’s current group of players helped to end the Crimson Tide’s 42-game losing streak against Tennessee in 2016. Now, the same bunch has earned the program’s first-ever win over the Lady Volunteers in Knoxville with a 72-63 victory on Thursday night. Prior to the dramatic win, the Crimson Tide was 0-22 when playing Tennessee on the road.
Adding to the game’s historical significance, the victory now becomes UA’s fourth in a row over the Lady Volunteers.
Sophomore point guard Jordan Lewis led Alabama in scoring with 19 points, and senior forward Ashley Williams chipped in 16 points of her own. The Crimson Tide trailed by five entering the fourth quarter, but outscored the Lady Volunteers 28-14 in the final 10 minutes.
“(We made) tremendous plays down the stretch, and had great toughness and grit,” Curry said. “Our team is doing what they know they can do, and when they do that, they are very difficult to beat.”
The win over Tennessee is Alabama’s first win over a ranked opponent this season, and will boost UA’s resume as it looks for an NCAA Tournament bid in March.
“We put our season into a two-week window, and now we’re 2-0 in that window,” Curry said. “We still have a lot of basketball ahead of us. We still have hopes and goals for the NCAA Tournament, and we needed a win tonight.”
Alabama is now 6-7 in the conference with three games remaining before the SEC Tournament. UA’s next game is against Auburn on Sunday at Coleman Coliseum.
“I’m so proud of this team, and so happy,” Curry said on a video shared by the Alabama women’s basketball twitter account. “So proud of this senior class to do a first that has never, ever been done. It’s just incredible, and we’re not done yet.”
The full video of Alabama’s celebration and Curry’s postgame speech can be viewed here:
When you make history you have reason to celebrate😁🎊🎉#RollTide #GritAndGratitude #History pic.twitter.com/pJpLOLUnBc
— Alabama Women’s Basketball (@AlabamaWBB) February 16, 2018
