Alabama Women’s Basketball Falls Short in WNIT Elite Eight

The Alabama women’s basketball team saw its season end on Sunday, falling to the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, 78-73, in the quarterfinals of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.

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“Just so proud of this team, amazing effort today,” said Alabama head coach Kristy Curry. “I’m not sure I’ve had a group where I feel like we honestly got everything from them they could give.”

South Dakota State started off strong knocking down five triples in the opening quarter while Alabama struggled offensively as leading scorer, Brittany Davis picked up two fouls early. The Jackrabbits led 26-11 at the end of the first quarter.

The Tide fought back in the second quarter, cutting the deficit to two with 3:15 left in the quarter, but the Jackrabbits ended the half on a 12-0 run, taking a 44-30 lead into the break.

The Tide opened the second half with a 10-2 run, forcing an early SDSU timeout. Alabama continued to push earning its first lead of the day 50-49 with 5:15 left in the third quarter.

The Tide continued to extend its lead, putting up 34 total points on 13-of-17 shooting in the third quarter. Alabama took a 64-56 lead into the final frame.

After a Jada Rice layup pushed the Crimson Tide lead to double digits to open the fourth quarter, the Jackrabbits went on a 14-0 run, regaining the lead 70-66, with 4:24 left in the game. A Megan Abrams jumper would put the Tide back up 73-72 with 2:11 left, but the Jackrabbits hit two three-pointers and held strong on defense, securing the 78-73 victory.

Four Alabama players scored in double figures including Brittany Davis (28), Megan Abrams (14), Jada Rice (12), and JaMya Mingo-Young (10).

Alabama ends the season with an overall record of 20-14 and 6-10 in the SEC. This marked the first 20-win season for the Tide since the 2017-18 season.