TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Sophomore Jasmine Robinson scored a career-high 24 points to lead the Alabama women’s basketball team past Kansas, 80-76, on Sunday at Foster Auditorium. With the win, the Crimson Tide improved to 7-2 on the season, while the Jayhawks collected their first loss and now stand at 7-1 overall.

“This was one of those basketball games that I thought we really played well for 40 minutes,” said Alabama head coach Wendell Hudson. “We didn’t play a perfect basketball game by any stretch, but the effort was there from the time the ball was tipped up until the end of the game. We have nothing to complain about from that standpoint.”

The Crimson Tide are on a four-game win streak heading into a road stretch.

Joining Robinson in double-figures were juniors Meghan Perkins and Jessica Merritt, who added 17 and 12, respectively. Freshman Aneesah Daniels pulled down a game-best, and career-high, 13 rebounds, in addition to nine points.

Kansas took the early lead, scoring the first bucket of the game at the 18:22 mark, but Robinson would counter on the next possession to even the score at 2. Alabama would take its first lead of the game with 15:58 to go in the first as Robinson buried a three-pointer to give the Tide the 5-4 edge. Alabama remained in front, holding as much as a 12-point lead in the half. The Tide would head into the break up 43-33 over the Jayhawks.

Kansas strung together an 8-4 run to open the second, cutting its deficit to six at the 17:12 mark. Alabama responded, however, extending its lead out to 13 with a fast-break layup from senior Ericka Russell with 10:36 to play. The Jayhawks would go on to score the next eight straight, bringing the lead down to five, before a Russell three-pointer with 6:21 to go took the lead back out to eight. Kansas would threaten again late in the contest, hitting back-to-back threes that set the score at 78-76 with nine seconds to go, but a pair of free throws by Perkins sealed the victory for the Tide.

Alabama out-rebounded Kansas 42-35 and scored 48 points in the paint compared to the Jayhawks’ 38 points inside. In addition, the Tide shot 75.0 percent from the free throw line (12-16), while Kansas was just 47.1 from the charity stripe (8-17).

Alabama will now play three-straight road games, beginning with North Texas on Wednesday, December 7. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. CT.

 

Release and Photo Courtesy UA Athletics