Behind huge performances from junior Jasmine Walker and sophomore Ariyah Copeland, the Alabama women’s basketball team won its third straight game after defeating Grambling State 73-55 on Friday afternoon inside Coleman Coliseum.
“I’m proud of these kids for their response in the second half,” head coach Kristy Curry said. “I did not think we were ready to go from the tip and I felt like I saw it coming, but I just loved our response in the second half. I thought Jasmine and Ariyah were just incredible, and I am proud of those two for giving us some energy when we needed it. I thought Taylor Berry came in and gave us some energy. She’s practiced really well the past few days and I think today those three really helped our team when we needed it the most.”
Walker led the way offensively, dropping in a career-high 24 points on 10 of 15 shooting to go along with nine rebounds. Copeland also had a career-high in points after registering her second career double-double, scoring 18 points on 7 of 7 shooting and grabbing 14 rebounds. Junior Cierra Johnson also pitched in 11 points.
With Alabama holding a slim 37-35 advantage with 7:17 remaining in the third, the Crimson Tide had a 12-2 scoring run to extend its lead to 49-37. At the end of the third period, Alabama was out in front 53-41.
Alabama opened the fourth quarter with two quick scores to take its largest lead at 57-41, and maintained its advantage the rest of the way.
The Crimson Tide outrebounded Grambling State 44-29, including 12 offensive boards. The Alabama bench provided a spark offensively, chipping in 29 points, compared to just four bench points from the Lady Tigers’ reserves. UA limited Grambling State to just 33 percent (19 of 58) shooting while making 48 percent (27 of 56) of its attempts from the floor.
The Crimson Tide hosts Stetson at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
