3 takeaways, since no. 2 South Carolina beats no. 19 Alabama

Alabama women’s basketball gave South Carolina all kinds of trouble, but the higher-ranked team pulled away late to secure the win.

In what was a five-point game early in the fourth quarter, No. 2 Gamecocks strong to defeat no. 19 Crimson Tide 76-58 Thursday at Coleman Coliseum.

Alabama coach Kristy Curry praised South Carolina for how well the Gamecocks “make you pay” for mistakes; Curry pointed to errors in execution that cost Alabama in key moments down the stretch

“I thought our kids competed and battled,” Curry said. “The perspective on this is that they all count the same. Our response is always what we talk about. Good, bad, happy, sad. I know our response will be with grit and grit on the road against Arkansas.”

Here are three takeaways from the match between no. 2 South Carolina (17-1, 5-0 SEC) and no. 19 Alabama (16-3, 3-2).

Alabama stops South Carolina’s first half possession attempt

The Gamecocks looked like they were about to start cruising.

Alabama scored the first bucket of the game, then it was all South Carolina for a bit. The Gamecocks went on a 10-0 run in less than three minutes while the Crimson Tide missed seven consecutive shots. South Carolina looked like the No. 2 in the country while Alabama looked overmatched.

Then triples start to fall for the Crimson Tide. Aaliyah Nye and Diana Collins sank 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to tie within 14-10 with 2:27 left in the first quarter.

But South Carolina began cruising again. The Gamecocks used a strong first-half performance on the glass to create offensive success, grabbing 11-point leads several times in the first half. But Alabama always kept the lead from growing into an impossible deficit.

Nye, Collins and Essence Cody combined to score points on four straight possessions midway through the second quarter to bring Alabama back within 27-23 with 5:51 left before halftime.

At halftime, South Carolina’s lead grew to 38-30. The Crimson Tide blocked shots (5-1 in the first half), minimized turnovers and struggled in the paint before halftime. All of which prevented South Carolina from taking over.

Zaay Green keys in the fourth quarter, but Alabama can’t close

The Crimson Tide gave the Gamecocks plenty to handle, well into the fourth quarter.

In fact, Alabama pulled within five early in the final frame after a triple by Zaay Green. And she kept scoring.

A minute later, she made a layup. Ninety seconds later, she sank a jumper. Green finished the game with 15 points, five rebounds and three assists. She scored 10 of her points in the second half.

The problem was South Carolina made its free throws and Alabama didn’t when the game was close. In a game where the Crimson Tide didn’t have much room for error, it couldn’t afford to miss them. South Carolina finished 19-21 (90%) from the charity stripe, while Alabama went 10-for-16 (63%).

Then South Carolina made shots late (a 12-2 run over the final 4:30), while Alabama sank just one of its last 10 shots.

Blocks, forces turnovers for two strengths for Alabama

A key part of Alabama’s defense: The ability to deny shots and take the ball away.

A number of players found a way to block shots, including Green, Nye, Essence Cody and JeAnna Cunningham. Those efforts to deny South Carolina attempts were crucial in the Crimson Tide slowing down the Gamecocks on offense. The blocks served as one facet of an overall solid defensive effort Alabama put together, finishing with six on the night.

Turnover was another key. While Alabama limited them, South Carolina had a tendency to give the ball away. The Gamecocks finished with 15 turnovers to Alabama’s eight. The Crimson Tide held the edge in steals in the game 6-5.