Alabama women advance to Sweet 16 in WNIT
NEW ORLEANS – More than four months after losing to the nonconference foe in a close game down the stretch, the University of Alabama women’s basketball team at last toppled Tulane, 81-77, in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament Round 2 in New Orleans, La., Monday. The Crimson Tide improved to 19-13 (6-10) on the season, while the Green Wave fell to 21-10 (11-5) in 2021-22.
In the process, Megan Abrams reached the 1,000-point club after a pullup jumper in the third quarter to help Alabama get within two points of Tulane. The senior has combined for 1,009 points in nearly four seasons at the Capstone.
Four starters turned in double-digit performances Monday, Abrams included, as the Crimson Tide shot 50.0 percent from the field on 24-of-48 shooting. The Tide also made nine of its 19 attempts from long range and 24 of its 27 attempts from the line.
Brittany Davis paced the team in scoring and rebounding, recording 22 points and 10 rebounds to mark her seventh double-double of the season. More than half of her points came from the line, knocking down all 12 of her free-throw attempts. Davis added four assists and a steal in 39 minutes of action.
Mingo-Young scored 21 points on an impressive 7-of-9 from the field, including sinking a pair of three-point field goals, while she added six rebounds and three assists to her stat line. Abrams added 19 points en route to her fifth straight game of scoring at least 19 points.
Hannah Barber rounded out the foursome, tacking on 12 points thanks to four makes from long range. The senior also grabbed five rebounds off the glass.
The game featured balanced scoring, which included 20 lead changes and nine ties. Tulane took its biggest lead in the game, seven points, toward the end of the third quarter, but Alabama responded with a 10-0 run at the start of the fourth quarter to gain momentum down the stretch.
Alabama had its fourth game this season of shooting at least 50.0 percent from the field, while it also outrebounded the ninth-ranked rebounding team in the nation, 31-27.
