Alabama Comeback Falls Short as No. 13 Georgia Holds On, 65-59

The Alabama women’s basketball team chipped a 17-point deficit down to four but was unable to get any closer as 13^th-ranked Georgia held on for the 65-59 victory on Thursday night in Stegeman Coliseum. With the loss, the Crimson Tide drops to 12-9 on the season and 2-6 in the Southeastern Conference while the win puts the Lady Bulldogs at 18-3 overall and 6-2 in the league.

“This is a very tough loss,” said Alabama head coach Wendell Hudson. “We had opportunities late and just didn’t convert. I am proud of this group though to come over here and play the way they did. We got down in the game, but we never gave up.”

Alabama was led in scoring by junior Shafontaye Myers, who had 12 points. Junior Jasmine Robinson and sophomores Kaneisha Horn and Daisha Simmons added 10 apiece. Horn also collected 10 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season.

Georgia opened the game on a 5-0 run before Alabama knocked down back-to-back three-pointers, one from Myers and one from Robinson, to take the 6-5 edge at the 16:07 mark. From there, the Lady Bulldogs would go on a 15-5 run over the next five minutes to pull in front, 20-11. The Tide would score eight unanswered to cut the Georgia lead to one with 7:06 to go; however, the Lady Bulldogs responded with five straight to go back on top by six.

Alabama tacked on the first three points of the second half but then went scoreless for over four minutes, allowing Georgia to gain a 14-point advantage. With the Lady Bulldogs ahead by 17, the Tide used a 21-8 run to chip it down to four with 2:03 remaining. Georgia took advantage of its trips to the free throw line late, hitting five of its six attempts to seal the victory.

For the game, Alabama was 35.1 percent (20-57) from the floor while Georgia hit 34.3 percent (23-67) of its attempts. The Lady Bulldogs narrowly edged out the Tide on the boards, 43-41, and had five fewer turnovers than Alabama.

The Tide remains on the road for its second game of the week when it heads to Gainesville to take on the Florida Gators on Sunday. Tipoff is slated for Noon CT.