Alabama
1-1,0-0SEC
Clemson
1-2,0-0ACC
Johnson Leads the Way as Alabama Bounces Back with 67-54 Road Win Over Clemson
11/12/2019 11:33:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Senior Cierra Johnson finished with 21 points, eight rebounds and six steals off the bench
CLEMSON, S.C. – Senior Cierra Johnson came up big off the bench as Alabama defeated Clemson 67-54 on the road on Tuesday night inside Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, S.C. With the victory the Crimson Tide (1-1) picks up its first win of the 2019-20 season, while the Tigers (1-2) drop their second straight contest.
Johnson led the Tide with 21 points, eight rebounds and six steals, while shooting 7-of-10 from the floor. Junior Jasmine Walker got on track with 11 of her 13 points coming in the second half. Junior Ariyah Copeland chipped in 10 points, while grabbing seven boards.
As a team, Alabama dominated the glass especially on the offensive end, with 26 of its 44 rebounds coming off of UA missed shots. The Crimson Tide also forced the Tigers into 27 turnovers, which led to 39 points.
From Coach Curry
- "We stayed positive and we were being aggressive," said head coach Kristy Curry. "We had some great looks early on and they just weren't going down, but we just stayed the course. Sometimes our kids are their own worst enemy and sometimes they try too hard, but I told them to keep shooting the ball and stay positive. We wanted to be aggressive and we did that by forcing 27 turnovers and having 26 offensive boards, that's incredible from our group."
Quarter-by-Quarter
- Alabama started out slow with Clemson building a 12-6 lead after the first 10 minutes of action.
- The Tide turned it on in the second quarter, sparked by Johnson's 13 points in the second frame. The Mobile, Ala., native knocked down all three of her shots beyond the arc and helped Alabama outscore CU, 26-12 in the second to take the 32-24 lead into the halftime break.
- In the third, the Tide built its lead to 15 after sophomore De'Sha Benjamin came up with the steal and converted the layup to put Alabama up 44-29 with just under five minutes to go in the period. The Tigers responded by outscoring UA 11-5 to close out the quarter, however, the Tide held the 49-40 advantage going into the fourth.
- UA began the final quarter with a 9-1 run to extend the lead to 58-41 with 7:01 on the clock. The Tide held the double-digit edge for the remainder of the game and came out on top, 67-54.
Cierra (@0CierraJohnson4) went OFF in the 2nd Quarter.
— Alabama Women's Basketball (@AlabamaWBB) November 13, 2019
13 points ??
3-of-3 from beyond the arc ????
HALFTIME | ?? 32 ?? 24#RollTide #GritAndGratitude ???? pic.twitter.com/KCusSrjaSP
Player Spotlight
- After struggling in her first game of the season, Johnson bounced-back with her seventh 20-plus point game of her Alabama career. The senior was just one steal away from tying her career-high that she set last year on the road at Georgia on Jan. 27.
- Copeland turned in her second-straight solid performance and is now averaging 10.5 points and a team-high nine rebounds through two games. The Columbus, Ga., native shot an efficient 5-of-9 from the floor in the win.
Strong performance from @0CierraJohnson4!! ????
— Alabama Women's Basketball (@AlabamaWBB) November 13, 2019
21 points ??
7-of-10 shooting ??
8 boards ??
6 steals ??#RollTide #GritAndGratitude ???? pic.twitter.com/mSzAc7vzFb
Stats of the Game
- The Tide turned up the defensive pressure forcing the Tigers into 27 turnovers, including grabbing 16 steals.
- UA also won the battle on the boards, outrebounding the Tigers, 44-36, including the 26 offensive rebounds that turned into 20 second chance points.
- When UA had the chance, it converted from the free throw line, going 15-of-21, while the Tigers went 3-of-12 from the stripe.
Up Next
- The Tide will return home on Sunday, Nov. 17 against Mercer. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. CT inside Coleman Coliseum and will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
For all the latest information on the team, follow AlabamaWBB on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. General athletic news can be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.
