Everything Alabama WBB head coach Kristy Curry said after the 76-58 loss to No. 2 South Carolina

South Carolina traveled on the road to Alabama and defeated the Crimson Tide 76-58. Alabama head coach Kristy Curry spoke with members of the media following her team’s loss.

Here’s everything she had to say.

Opening statement

“Just, you know, got beat by a very good South Carolina team tonight. I think they do a really good job of making you pay for mistakes. And it might not always look like a mistake. I mean , it looks like that. We did a really good job of taking care of the basketball — eight turnovers, nine assists — but I thought we had some mistakes in terms of our execution. And every time we did that, it’s what really good teams do I thought they got to the free throw line late and converted – so I thought our kids competed and battled. The perspective on this is they all count the same and our response is always what we talk about: good, bad, happy, sad, and I know our response will be with grit and grit on the road in Arkansas.”

What do you want your players to take away, how in some moments you essentially stopped them from taking over the game by shortening the lead?

“I think this group, they play really, really, really hard and hard and we just had too many mistakes that maybe don’t show up. Like I said, from an execution standpoint, I thought at times our ball pressure, transition really hurt us. We didn’t have a lot of energy on the ball and we’ve got to improve on that. Moving forward, we’re obviously playing one of the leading scorers in the SEC who has the ball in her hands a lot time. So I thought it affected us today. But again, I thought they were really good at the four spot and we tried to go a little bit bigger. I mean, obviously, in a game like this definitely can see that size. And we’re really struggling, at times in the top four, tonight to be able to defend.”

Diana Collins has played a lot of minutes, how has that improved her toughness?

“She continues to get minutes, and I think the answer is the energy, the effort, you know, understanding what the SEC is all about. Until you go through it, it’s hard to get to it. So I think ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ And every day she has a great learning opportunity to continue to learn and grow and we’re going to need a lot from her, you know, with the absence of essays. I mean, obviously she played 22, 23 minutes a battle before, and now she moved forward. I mean, I think that’s crucial to our success. She had a big second half against Ole Miss, so it’s great to see her progress.”

Do you feel it was their depth of lack of execution that was able to get you over the hump?

(Win Tickets: South Carolina-LSU WBB)

“Well, I think their second group is as good as their first group, and their first group is as good as their second group. And I think that’s something that makes them incredibly difficult to guard and defense, is their depth and their talent. I think their second group, I think we’ve seen on film often, it’s incredible what they come up with. And they do a good job in my eyes, and that is a compliment to Dawn or the coaching staff for playing team basketball and truly selfless.

So I think that’s what makes them really special. It’s not always the first wave that gets you. Sometimes it’s the second wave. And I thought their bench was really the difference. Obviously, they dominated our bench. And it’s something, you know, I look over there and you see Jess and you see Naomi and you see Rachel and you see SA (Sarah Ashlee) and you’re like, “Holy smoke.” There are four children who are major contributors to us. So we’re a little thin over there, but I thought our kids really battled tonight.”

Karly Weather has her 100th career win – how valuable is she in the SEC?

“She just always does what she needs to do, where she needs to do it, and she just makes so many busy plays. I mean, she’s the glue player for us, and she’s always in the right place. And often when you do that right and you can answer that question, good things will happen. And then again, it’s just that she has an incredible basketball IQ and is just savvy and really fun to have on your team because you can always count on her.”

How hard is it to play in the SEC?

“Well, I don’t necessarily think it’s hard. I think as a competitor you love it. As a trainer, I love it. As a player, you love it. And I think our team and our program have done a really good job of embracing those challenges. And you know, I think it helps prepare you for what’s ahead. And I just told our team, the teams that can stay together, the teams that can continue to learn and grow together and have perspective on each and every day about how we can get better. Is that the team that succeeds because if you are weak or soft you just won’t be able to stay consistent in this league and give yourself a chance. So there is no other changing room. I mean there are some things I can continue to grow and do better. I felt like there, with 6:45 left, we were going to cut it to five minutes, two free throws. Goodness gracious, you know, and maybe I should have done a better job of trying to help them. So we will all continue to work and grow. And I’m just answering your question. I love the SEC. There is no other league in the country and I embrace that and I hope my team will too.”

How has the team grown from a tough SEC schedule?

“I think the thing is, it’s impressed me so much that we’ve had so many people step up. I mean, our first team All-SEC is on the bench and these kids continue to step up .And injuries are part of it – we have no excuses – but I know when she’s back we’ll be so much better. I always see adversity as a blessing in disguise , how these children continue to rise. We’re a little short-handed, but they’re competitive, and that’s all we can ask for. And again, I think their response will be pretty good on Sunday. I’m excited to get on a plane and go up the hill with them.”

With Sarah Ashlee out, what have you seen from other teams defensively and Zaay Green stepping up?

(Win tickets: South Carolina-Oklahoma WBB)

“I mean, you know, I think Zaay has done an incredible job. When you have the ball in your hands, I think a lot of her success comes from other people putting their patients on screens, their screening actions, and then we have to open up the lane. So I think sometimes we all focus on Zaay, but it’s everyone in the action around her and the ball switching sides of the floor and the movement that can really create some opportunities for her. At Ole Miss, she had 27 and then had nine assists and two turnovers tonight. I thought she gave you everything she had and really competed extremely hard. And you know, sometimes when your shots don’t fall, I think , that you just have to stay with it and let the game come to you. But I thought we did a really bad job at times of being open and helping her. So that’s five players in a clear position, and everyone’s job is equally important with or without ball.”

What was your message to the team at halftime after South Carolina was dominant on the glass in the first half?

“Well, you know, I think it’s hard to simulate that. And then I think it’s always about your response. And we talk about that a lot on our show. I thought their response during the break. You know, we pray them always about having three areas of improvement on the board. The first thing is we have to rebound better. So I think sometimes until they decide that’s something that’s important to them, I can’t do that. , as they can for themselves. And they did a much better job with their response you know we went a little bigger so i thought christabel came in and did a really good job we were just able to get our hands on some loose ball rebounds, which we might not have been in the first half.”

How did the scoring across the board for your players change with Sarah Ashlee gone?

“We’ve got to have everybody pitch in and grab a bucket, make a free throw, sprint and transition, get an easy basket, you know, get an offensive set back. So we talk a lot about how we can all get to 10, and so whatever our responsibilities are, but we have to continue to have our bench up and impact the stat sheet, continue to do all the little things with buckets and box outs and all the things that really matter, spacing, sharing the ball . So we have some young players that get an opportunity to learn as they go, and that’s great because you can only learn, you know, when you actually have actions, so I think it will all be something that we can definitely improve from because we get the opportunity. Everybody’s playing tonight and that’s how we’re going to have to do it.”