Alabama vs. No. 15 Texas A&M
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: Coleman Coliseum
Records: Alabama 11-7, 1-4 SEC; Texas A&M 15-3, 3-2 SEC
TV: SEC Network+
Radio: 100.1 FM, 1230 AM
By Nadia Isaac
Special to Tidesports
Alabama women’s basketball clashes with No. 14 Texas A&M
After a tough loss to Tennessee on Monday, the Alabama women’s basketball team looks to redeem itself Thursday night against Texas A&M.
Alabama led the Vols 63-62 with about eight seconds left to play. Tennessee’s Rennia Davis hit a 3-pointer with .3 seconds on the clock to clinch the win. It was a disappointing way to lose but there is no time to dwell on it with Texas A&M coming to Tuscaloosa for another big SEC game Thursday.
“You have to understand that as a competitor difficulties are not meant to discourage us,” Alabama head coach Kristy Curry said. “We will not be discouraged. We will fight on. Our kids showed a tremendous amount of toughness, but we just came up a little short. All games count the same in this league and it’s our response.
“Our chance is to respond to a top team in this league and it is a great opportunity for us.”
Alabama sophomore guard Megan Abrams added, “we try not to look behind us. The only thing we can do is keep pushing forward. We played hard and we fought until the end. It didn’t turn out how we wanted it to, but we can look forward and get prepared for A&M.”
Texas A&M, ranked 15, is coming off of an impressive win over Florida last Thursday. Two Aggie players ended the night with double-doubles — N’dea Jones had 19 points and 11 rebounds, Cierra Johnson had 16 points and 10 rebounds. Going into Thursday’s game with Alabama, Texas A&M ranks in the top three in the SEC in assists and limits opponents to 56.6 points per game.
With star player Chennedy Carter out with a foot injury, Texas A&M May have some struggles offensively. Alabama point guard Jordan Lewis said it will still be a difficult game without Carter on the court.
“They have a very good player that’s been sitting out,” Lewis said. “They also have other key players on the team. They are just a very good team overall. They are all returning from last year who went to the Sweet 16.
“So, I think it is very important to play your best because every team is hard and every game is hard in the SEC. You have to just play your best.”
Alabama has three straight home games and is counting on fans to fill up the stands at Coleman Coliseum. Curry emphasized the importance of fan attendance and the energy of the crowd to pump the team up and hopefully help them pull out a win.
“We hope that we can draw from being home with our crowd,” Curry said. “For our kids, it just gives them that extra adrenaline they need at critical moments and they have all year. We hope to have a big crowd on Thursday night.”
