Women’s Basketball: Alabama 113 vs Troy 105

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Daisha Simmons and Shafontaye Myers combined for 71 points to lift the Crimson Tide women’s basketball team to a 113-105 overtime victory over Troy on Friday at Foster Auditorium. Simmons also added 11 rebounds and 11 assists, becoming the first UA player to record a triple-double since 1995.

With the win Alabama improves to 6-5 on the season, while the loss drops the Trojans to 4-6.

Simmons finished with a career-high 37 in the game, marking the most points scored by a junior in program history and the second-highest in a single game all-time. Myers’ 34-point performance was also a career-high, and her six three-pointers moved her into seventh in the Alabama record book for career threes with 163. Ashley Williams also played a key role, notching her first double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Brittany Jack had 12 points and four rebounds off the bench. Ashley Beverly-Kelley led the way for the Trojans, scoring 33 points.

The game featured a series of runs from both benches, as was evident in the 15 ties and 15 lead changes throughout the contest. Troy led for most of the first half, using a 15-3 run to pull ahead, 31-18, with 8:19 to go. From there, Alabama countered with an 18-4 run of its own to jump in front, 36-35, at the 3:10 mark. The Tide would head into the locker room with a 42-41 edge, thanks to a jumper from Williams with 49 seconds left on the clock.

After a back-and-forth affair over the opening five minutes of the second half, the Trojans scored seven unanswered points to lead, 66-60, with 11:38 to play. Troy held onto the lead until Simmons jacked up a three-pointer five minutes later to give Alabama the lead back, 75-74. The Trojans would not go away, however, and held a three-point lead with 16 seconds to go. The Tide inbounded the ball and quickly drove up the court to find Myers, who did what she does best, knocking down the three with nine seconds left to even the score at 92. Troy would fail to hit its last attempt, sending the game into overtime.

Alabama got out to a quick start in the bonus period, scoring the first seven points, which forced the Trojans to take a timeout. Troy was able to pull within one, but would get no closer, as the Tide outscored the Trojans 14-7 down the stretch.

Alabama had one of its best outings on the boards, pulling down 63 rebounds, compared to Troy’s 43. The Tide was also 30-47 from the free throw line and had 17 assists on its 37 made baskets.

The 113 points was the most scored by the Tide since its historic four-overtime victory over Duke in the 1995 NCAA Championship Tournament, and the eighth most in a game in Tide history.

Alabama will now break for the holidays before heading to Charlottesville, Va., for the Cavalier Classic, Dec. 28-29. The Tide will first take on the Princeton Tigers at 11 a.m. CT on Dec. 28 and will then face either Coppin State or Virginia on Dec. 29.

Courtesy of UA Media Relations