No. 20 Alabama Suffers a Loss Against No. 13 Oklahoma

NORMAN, Okla. — No. 20 Alabama women's basketball played hard but experienced a tough loss against No. 13 Oklahoma on Sunday.

In the opening quarter, the Sooners won the tipoff and quickly gained momentum.  Zaay Green committed a foul, allowing Sahara Williams to sink both free throws at 9:26, putting the Sooners ahead 2-0. The Crimson Tide responded with a jumper from Green, unassisted, in the paint. Essence Cody then capitalized at the free-throw line, making both shots to give the Crimson Tide a brief 4-2 lead. The Sooners answered with a dominant scoring run, including a layup in the paint by No. 24 and a 3-pointer by Reyna Scott, boosting their lead to 10-4. Green’s 3-pointer kept the Crimson Tide in striking distance, but the Sooners continued to attack the paint, with another score and a 3-pointer by Williams putting them ahead 16-9. Cody made several crucial plays, including a rebound and a tip shot, cutting the deficit to 16-11. As the quarter progressed, Raegan Beers’ layup and a 3-pointer from Payton Verhulst helped the Sooners extend their lead. Despite a late 3-pointer from Sarah Ashlee Barker, the Sooners finished the first quarter with a solid 28-18 lead.

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The second quarter began with Cody scoring in the paint at 9:44. A foul was called on Aaliyah Nye, allowing Williams to make both free throws at 9:24. Cody then fouled Payton Verhulst, who also made her free throw, pushing the Sooners' lead to 33-20. At 8:33, Nye responded with a 3-pointer, assisted by Green. Green then powered through the Sooners' defense, scoring a layup at 7:30. Nevaeh Tot hit a 3-pointer, assisted by Skyler Vann, but Barker answered with a 3-pointer of her own, cutting the deficit to 36-28. At 5:17, Diana Collins drained another 3-pointer, assisted by Green, followed by Barker hitting yet another 3-pointer to make it 38-35. The Crimson Tide then caught fire from beyond the arc as Green hit two consecutive 3-pointers, giving the Crimson Tide their first lead of the game, 41-38. A foul sent Green to the free-throw line, where she made both shots. The teams exchanged baskets throughout the quarter, and by the end of the second, they were tied at 45-45.

The third quarter began with a jumper by Williams, putting the Sooners ahead 47-45. At 9:32, Cody hit a 3-pointer, assisted by Green, giving the Crimson Tide a 48-47 lead. Moments later, at 8:59, Nye made another 3-pointer, pushing the lead to 50-47. A foul on Barker allowed Williams to sink two free throws, tying the game. At 8:31, Scott scored a layup in the paint, briefly giving the Sooners the lead before Barker answered with a layup of her own, making the score 52-51. At 8:02, Cody made a free throw, putting the Crimson Tide up 53-51. Beers then scored a two-point tip shot at 7:08 and was fouled by Cody. Beers made the free throw, giving the Sooners a 54-53 lead. Verhulst hit a 3-pointer at 6:36, extending the Sooners' lead to 57-53. A foul was called on JeAnna Cunningham against Beers, who made one free throw, pushing the score to 58-53. Beers then immediately made a layup, increasing the Sooners' lead to 60-53. A personal foul was called on Vann, allowing Karly Weathers to make both free throws, cutting the score to 60-55. At 4:43, Christabel Ezumah was called for a foul, allowing Beers to score and make both free throws, pushing the score to 62-55. At 4:19, Green made a 3-pointer, closing the gap to 62-58. Vann scored a layup, pushing the score to 64-58. Barker then made a layup, but Liz Scott responded on the other side with a score of 66-60. Lexi Keys hit a 3-pointer with 1:42 left in the third. At 58 seconds, Nye made a 3-pointer, pushing the score to 69-63. With 36 seconds remaining, Green hit another 3-pointer, but Scott responded with a 3-pointer of her own, bringing the score to 71-66 in favor of the Sooners as the third quarter ended.

The fourth quarter began with a layup by Scott, extending the Sooners' lead to 73-66. A personal foul was called on Green, allowing Scott to make one free throw. At 8:52, Nye scored a 3-pointer, cutting the lead to 74-69. A foul was called on Nye, sending Williams to the free-throw line, where she made one shot. A personal foul was then called on Williams, and Barker made two free throws, reducing the Sooners' lead to 75-71. At 6:17, Beers scored a layup, increasing the Sooners' lead to 77-71. Vann then made a layup, pushing the score to 79-71. At 4:50, Barker scored a layup in the paint, cutting the lead to 79-73. At 4:24, Verhulst scored two, extending the lead to 81-73. At 3:01, Beers made a layup, pushing the score to 83-73. At 1:57, Barker made two free throws after being fouled by Vann, cutting the lead to 83-75. At 1:38, Weathers scored a layup, making it 83-77. At 1:16, Verhulst made a layup, but Weathers immediately responded with a 3-pointer. With 36 seconds left, Williams made one free throw after being fouled by Nye. With 30 seconds remaining, Green scored a layup, pushing the score to 86-82. Verhulst made one free throw, extending the lead to 87-82. With 17 seconds left, Barker scored a layup, cutting the lead to 87-84. A personal foul was called on Weathers, allowing Verhulst to make two free throws, pushing the score to 89-84. A personal foul was then called on Barker, sending Williams to the free-throw line, where she made two free throws to end the game with a score of 91-84.

“We have every opportunity in front of us,” head coach Kristy Curry said. “I think they just popped on the screen that we are still a four seed. It’s important that we go play well and take care of our business in the SEC tournament.”

The Crimson Tide will await to see what day they will play during the SEC tournament and who they will match up against. The SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament will take place March 5-9 in Greenville, South Carolina.