Alabama Falls in SEC Opener to No. 7/9 Lady Vols

The Alabama women’s basketball team opened Southeastern Conference play on Thursday night in Thompson Boiling Arena. The Tide fell to the No. 7/9 Tennessee Volunteers 62-44.

The Lady Vols entered the game at 11-1 with impressive wins over No. 22 South Florida and No. 12 Texas, with the only blemish coming against No. 2 Stanford.

Alabama entered the game at 9-2 overall, with a seven game win-streak on the line. The Tide last saw action on Dec. 13 against Sam Houston State, before having its last two non-conference games canceled.

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The Lady Vols got off to a strong start, taking a 23-12 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Tide defense quickly adjusted, holding the Lady Vols to seven points and cutting the lead to 30-24 at halftime. Alabama continued to chip away at the Tennessee lead, as the Tide defensive only allowed 8 Lady Vol points in the third quarter. Tennessee led by one point going into the fourth quarter.

The Lady Vols opened the fourth quarter with a 9-0 run, forcing Alabama to call a timeout with 7:06 left in the game. The Lady Vols held the momentum for the remainder of the game, earning the 62-44 victory.

Alabama was led in scoring by Brittany Davis with 12 points and JaMya Mingo-Young with 11 points. The Tide shot 23.9% from the field.

Tennessee was led in scoring by Jordan Walker with 16 points and Tamari Key with 13 points. The Lady Vols shot 42.9% from the field.

Tennessee outrebounded Alabama 46-41, which is only the second time all season that the Tide have been outrebounded.

Up next, Alabama hosts Auburn on Sunday, Jan. 2 at 4 p.m. on the SEC Network.