Vanderbilt WBB’s Second Half Becomes Too Much For Alabama

Last night Alabama WBB battled back to within four at halftime but could not withstand a dominant second-half surge from No. 5 Vanderbilt Commodores women's basketball, falling 85–60 Thursday night at Memorial Gymnasium. A 31-point third quarter by the Commodores proved to be the turning point, as Alabama’s offense stalled and turnovers fueled Vanderbilt’s transition attack.

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First Quarter: Vanderbilt 28 - Alabama 16
In a fast start at Memorial Gymnasium, No. 5 Vanderbilt came out firing and raced to an early lead. The Commodores used balanced scoring to jump ahead, building a 28-16 advantage. Despite Alabama keeping things competitive early, Vanderbilt’s offensive efficiency and early defensive pressure forced turnovers that translated into transition points and momentum behind a 10-0 run.

Second Quarter: Vanderbilt 36 - Alabama 32
Alabama responded with a resilient stretch to begin the second quarter, trimming Vanderbilt’s lead to just four by halftime. The Crimson Tide went on a 13-3 run, highlighted by strong play from Jessica Timmons, who scored in double figures again, helping Alabama stay within striking distance as both teams headed into the locker room at 36-32.

Third Quarter: Vanderbilt 67 - Alabama 48
The Commondores turned emphatically in the third quarter. Vanderbilt exploded for 31 points, opening up space and flipping the game’s momentum. The Commodores’ pressure defense and ability to convert off of turnovers put Alabama on its heels, and Vanderbilt’s big scoring quarter gave it a commanding 67-48 lead heading into the fourth.

Fourth Quarter: Vanderbilt 85 - Alabama 60
Though Alabama outscored Vanderbilt 10–5 in the early portion of the final quarter, the Commodores closed the game on a 13-2 run to seal the 85-60 victory. Vanderbilt’s depth and sustained offense in garbage time kept the lead comfortable, allowing head coach Shea Ralph’s squad to cruise to the win and cap off a historic home slate.

Following the loss, Alabama Head Coach Kristy Curry pointed to defensive lapes, transition breakdowns and costly turnovers as key factors in the Tide's second-half struggles.

Maturity wise, defensively, we allowed our offense to affect our defense, but I don't want that to take away from Vanderbilt. I think, secondly, we let them cut loose in transition and when you're making shots you have the ability to set your defense and we didn't do a very good job of finishing some offensive plays.

 

Execution wise, in the first five minutes of the third, they got some easy baskets in transition, so I don't know that it was much different. I thought we allowed some misplacements offensively to affect our ability to defend. The interesting piece of that was that I thought some of the older kids that didn't stick with what we'd been doing that got us there. We must learn and grow from it and they're a top five team for a reason. You've got to pack your defense, and you have to rebound on the road. We turned it over 23 times. You can't do those things and give yourself a chance to beat a top five team.

Vanderbilt Head Coach Shea Ralph praised her team following the win against Alabama and more.

It’s so special to be coaching this team and witnessing all the things that they’re doing, walking alongside them on the journey. It’s my understanding that it’s the first time in program history that we went undefeated at home in the regular season. We came here to do things that haven’t been done before. We’re just getting started. We were excited to have Commodore Nation show up for us tonight. We can’t do it without them. To see the crowd, to hear the crowd, to feel the energy, we’ve been working towards this, dreaming towards this, so thank you for showing up. We can’t wait to get to March.

SEC Slate (Thursday):

LSU Tigers women's basketball pulled away in the second half to top Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball, 89-73, behind balanced scoring and an advantage inside.

Texas Longhorns women's basketball cruised past Georgia Lady Bulldogs basketball, 79-50, as Madison Booker led the Longhorns with 18 points in a strong home performance.

Florida Gators women's basketball earned a 74-67 win over Ole Miss Rebels women's basketball, holding off a late surge to secure the victory.

Kentucky Wildcats women's basketball defeated Auburn Tigers women's basketball, 63-56, behind five made 3-pointers from Amelia Hassett to help the Wildcats pull away late.

South Carolina's Joyce Edwards and Madina Okot became too much for Missouri, resulting in the 112-71 win. The Gamecocks clinch their fifth straight SEC regualr-season title.

Oklahoma's Aaliyah Chavez 16 points propels the Sooners over Arkansas 89-44. Oklahoma's balanced offense and defense shined for a majority of the contest.

Texas A&M's forth quarter push edged them the close win 68-64 over Mississippi State. Nyceara Pryor lead the aggies with 16 points, shooting 3 of 4 from three.

Alabama Players in Double Figures:

Ta Mia Scott (15) and Jessica Timmons (16)

Alabama Stat Leaders:

Points: Jessica Timmons (16)

Assists: Karly Weathers (3)

Rebounds: Jessica Timmons and Karly Weathers (7)

Steals: Ta'Mia Scott (3)

Blocks: Ta'Mia Scott and Karly Weathers (1)

Minutes: Karly Weathers (37)

Following their recent loss to top ranked Vanderbilt, Alabama will be back at Coleman Coliseum this Sunday for its regular season finale against Texas. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. CT on the SEC Network.

Chase Brumfield is the morning producer and writer for Tide 100.9. He is a recent graduate from Mississippi State University as a Communications Major. Follow Chase for more Alabama content on X at @cb3864.