Alabama Advances to WNIT Sweet 16 with 81-77 win at Tulane

The Alabama women’s basketball team earned a thrilling 81-77 win on the road over the Tulane Green Wave in the second round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.

Get our free mobile app

“Just really proud of our team, a lot of toughness, big stops, big rebounds, [being] able to get to the free-throw line and convert; just a lot of gritty plays in a really tough environment,” said Alabama head coach Kristy Curry.

After a slow start, both teams started to pick up the pace and the offenses started rolling. In a first half that saw fourteen lead changes, Alabama took a 40-36 lead into the break.

Tulane opened the third quarter on a 7-0 run, putting the Green Wave back on top by three. The Green Wave put up an 8-0 run later in the quarter to go up 58-51, earning the largest lead of the game, forcing an Alabama timeout.

The Tide closed the quarter on an 8-0 run of their own, taking a 59-58 lead into the final frame.

With the game tied at 69, Tulane gained two big buckets and then forced a technical foul on Alabama’s Allie Craig Cruce, giving all the momentum to the Green Wave at the media timeout. Tulane hit one of two free throws to go up 74-69 with 4:35 left in the game.

The Green Wave held a 75-73 lead with less than two minutes to play, but Brittany Davis hit a tough layup with 1:17 left to tie the game at 75.

With the game on the line, Alabama’s JaMya Mingo-Young hit an and-one layup, putting the Tide up by three with 21 seconds left.

The Tide hit crucial free-throws in the final seconds to preserve the 81-77 postseason victory on the road.

Four Alabama players scored in double figures including Brittany Davis (22), JaMya Mingo-Young (21), Megan Abrams (19), and Hannah Barber (12).

Alabama will host Houston in the WNIT Sweet Sixteen on Thursday, March 24 at 6:00 p.m. CST. The Tide defeated the Cougars back in December, 77-67, in Tuscaloosa.