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Alabama women's basketball can't keep up against Tennessee despite boost from the bench

maxwell donaldson, the tuscaloosa news
·3 min read
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Alabama women’s basketball wasn't able to keep up with Tennessee in Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The Crimson Tide (12-3, 1-1 SEC) fell 89-76 to the Lady Vols in its first road test of the SEC season.

Alabama started slowly but got to one behind by the end of the first quarter. The Lady Vols (10-6, 2-0 SEC) came out on fire during the second quarter, shooting 57.9%. The Crimson Tide shot 52% from the field during the third quarter, but the Lady Vols were able to extend their lead to 19 going into the fourth. The Crimson Tide went on 12-3 run to close to 11 points but was never able to get it back inside single digits.

The Crimson Tide were outrebounded 43-27. Tennessee outscored Alabama 52-42 in the paint. The Alabama win streak ends at 10 games, tied for the third longest in program history.

Loyal McQueen and Megan Abrams are bright spots  

Even as Alabama struggled as a whole on offense, Loyal McQueen and Megan Abrams were bright spots off of the bench. McQueen had one of her best games all season with 21 points -- a new career high -- on 9-for-16 shooting while adding three assists. Abrams scored 24 points on 8-of -13 shooting, including 4-for-5 from 3-point range, her best game since the upset of Tennessee last season.

Abrams, a starter all last season, has seemed to embrace her move to the bench, averaging 7.9 points per game entering the game. Alabama planned to give McQueen and Abrams some different opportunities today, and before the game coach Kristy Curry told the broadcast team that the duo would have a good game.

"At the end of the day, it's our depth that makes us better and stronger as a team," Curry said. "I told (Tamika) Catchings and those guys that I felt like Megan and Loyal would have really good days. I was going to try to put them in a better position and I thought they responded today."

Alabama Head Coach Kristy Curry gives instructions to Alabama guard Loyal McQueen (0) as she subs in during the NCAA women's basketball match between Tennessee and Alabama at Thompson-Boiling Arena, Knoxville, Tenn. on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023.
Alabama Head Coach Kristy Curry gives instructions to Alabama guard Loyal McQueen (0) as she subs in during the NCAA women's basketball match between Tennessee and Alabama at Thompson-Boiling Arena, Knoxville, Tenn. on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023.

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Second-quarter woes cost Alabama women's basketball

The Crimson Tide were outscored 26-11 during the second quarter, a deficit from which it would not recover. The Lady Vols went 11-for-19 in the quarter, while Alabama went 4-for-15. The Crimson Tide was outrebounded 13-6, a stat that Curry has emphasized throughout the season and against Tennessee.

The Crimson Tide committed only four turnovers and had one offensive rebound.

Second five provide early spark for Alabama

The Crimson Tide started the game by shooting 4-for-10 from the field while allowing the Lady Vols to start 9-for-13. Alabama was able to keep the game close, trailing by only four at the media timeout. Just like against Georgia, the second five of the Crimson Tide shot 5-for-8 from the field and outscored Tennessee 12-9 during the last 4:40 of the quarter. McQueen had seven points and Abrams the other five.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama women's basketball can't stay with Tennessee as win streak ends