Alabama Women's Basketball Rolls Over Samford

Alabama hosted the Samford Bulldogs at Coleman Coliseum on Wednesday for their fifth game of the season. The matchup was significant as former Alabama guard Hannah Barber returned to Coleman as a first-year assistant coach for the Bulldogs.

Get our free mobile app

The matchup was every bit of thrilling. Ace Austin led with a career-high 21 points, and Alabama held on to win their fifth game of the season after being challenged by the Bulldogs in the first half.

Samford won the tipoff, but Alabama scored first with a 3-pointer from Jessica Timmons. Sierra Godbolt then scored a 2-pointer. Timmons drew a foul but missed both free throws. With 7:27 left, Alabama gained possession after a shot clock violation, and Ta’mia Scott capitalized with a 3-pointer. The Crimson Tide kept the ball and Essence Cody scored her first two points in the paint with an assist from Timmons (8-2). With under six minutes left, Samford scored for the second time with a layup from Godbolt, who later made a 3-pointer. Godbolt scored the first seven points for the Bulldogs. With under five minutes remaining in the first quarter, Ace Austin and Naomi Jones entered the game and made an immediate impact. Jones scored a layup with an assist from Austin. Coming out of a media timeout, Carla Baguda made a layup to cut the Crimson Tide’s lead to 10-9. Godbolt drew a foul and made both free throws, giving the Bulldogs the lead (11-10), but Austin put the Crimson Tide back in front with a jumper (12-11). As time was running out, Jada Knight responded with a layup (13-12) to give the Bulldogs the lead again. The first quarter ended with the Bulldogs leading 13-12.

The Crimson Tide opened the second quarter with possession, and Scott quickly scored a layup. Cody then forced a turnover, leading to Austin's first 3-pointer of the night, making it 17-13. Austin increased the lead with a 2-pointer, prompting Samford to call a timeout with 8:22 remaining after Alabama's 9-0 run. Following the timeout, both teams missed 3-pointers, but Alabama compensated with a 4-0 run, extending their lead to 25-13. The timeout proved beneficial for the Bulldogs as they challenged the Crimson Tide, limiting their scoring for nearly three minutes and narrowing the gap. Alabama concluded the second half with a 32-27 lead, needing to maintain their momentum to prevent the Bulldogs from tying or taking the lead.

Alabama started the second half strong, with Timmons drawing a foul and making both free throws, contributing to an 11-0 run that forced Samford to call a timeout with 7:57 left. Another pause occurred at 7:34 when Alabama challenged an out-of-bounds call, which was ruled in Samford's favor, costing Alabama a timeout. Following the review, both teams played strong defense, limiting each other's scoring opportunities. At 6:51, Godbolt made both free throws, bringing the score to 43-29, but Scott responded with a layup to keep Alabama on track. From that point, Alabama's offense intensified, matched by their defense. The Crimson Tide scored 32 points while holding the Bulldogs to just seven in the third quarter. Alabama entered the fourth quarter with a commanding 64-34 lead, setting a clear path to victory.

In the fourth quarter, the Crimson Tide dominated, holding the Bulldogs to 11 points while adding 20 to their lead, ultimately winning the game 84-45.