GREENVILLE, S.C. – No. 11-seeded\u00a0Alabama (23-9) propelled past\u00a0No. 6 seeded\u00a0Tennessee\u00a0to advance to the\u00a0quarterfinals of the\u00a02026 Southeastern Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament\u00a0with a 76-64 win\u00a0Thursday.\u00a0The Crimson Tide maintained the advantage over the Lady Vols for all 40 minutes, as Tennessee was only able to tie the game once in the first quarter with 4:01 on the clock.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jessica Timmons<\/a> (23) and Ta’Mia Scott<\/a> (20) combined for 43 of the team’s 76 total points. Timmons grabbed a team-high six boards, while Karly Weathers<\/a> stole six balls to aid in Alabama’s defensive performance.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tennessee (16-13) was led by Janiah Barker who scored 20 points, while Zee Speamam collected six rebounds.\u00a0<\/p>\n “This is a great team win. A lot of grit, a lot of toughness. Made plays when we needed to. Stayed consistent. I thought we played good team basketball, and just really happy for our team to survive and advance and get to play another day.”<\/p>\n Game Notes<\/p>\n
How it Happened<\/p>\n
Up Next<\/p>\n
\n\tWith its 76-64 victory, the Crimson Tide moved to the quarterfinals for the 26th time in tournament history and fourth time in the last six seasons
\n\tThe feat also marked the second time in the last nine years (2017) that Tennessee lost its opening game to the Tide, while Alabama simultaneously advanced to the quarterfinals
\n\tEssence Cody<\/a> scored 10 points to round out Alabama’s top scorers as the team collected its sixth consecutive game with at least a pair of players in double digits
\n\tIn her first postseason game,\u00a0Naomi Jones<\/a> scored\u00a0seven points and\u00a0tallied\u00a0six rebounds\u00a0over 19 minutes of action
\n\tThe Crimson Tide scored 38 points in the paint, compared to Tennessee’s 24.
\n\tAlabama shot 27-of-54 (50 percent) from the floor, 6-of-18 (33 percent) from deep and 16-of-19 (84 percent) from the free throw line
\n\tIn comparison, Tennessee shot 20-of-52 (38 percent) from the floor, 7-of-23 (30 percent) from behind the arc and 17-of-23 (74 percent) from the charity stripe
<\/p>\n
\n\tAlabama set the pace as UA jumped out to an early nine-point lead
\n\tAlthough the Lady Vols would tie the opening stanza at 12-12 (4:01),\u00a0Alabama pulled ahead with a 13-6 run to close the first quarter, taking a\u00a0seven-point lead (25-18)
\n\tAlabama extended its gap to double figures twice in the second quarter, which included\u00a0finishing\u00a0the\u00a0half with a 10-point lead\u00a0
\n\tThe Crimson Tide outscored the Vols after halftime, building a 15-point lead\u00a0by the 5:31 mark following a 14-11 run
\n\tTennessee closed with a 10-8 advantage, but UA held a 61-46 score heading into the final quarter\u00a0
\n\tAlabama built up to its largest lead of 17 points (53-37) with 6:52 to play\u00a0
\n\tIn the closing minutes, the Lady Vols outscored Alabama 11-8, trimming the deficit to 12\u00a0but UA sealed\u00a0the final score at 76-64
<\/p>\n
\n\tAlabama will face third-seeded Texas on Friday, March 6
\n\tTipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network\u00a0
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