Alabama Crimson Tide falls to Arkansas, 68-50

The University of Alabama women's basketball team dropped a 68-50 decision to Arkansas Sunday afternoon in Coleman Coliseum.
“Credit Arkansas,” Alabama Women’s Head Basketball Coach Kristy Curry said in a news release. “I thought they played great today. It was one of those days where they played great, and we didn't play very well.
“Sometimes you just credit those guys and get ready for the next one,” Curry added. “I think we outscored them 32-28 (in the second half). You can't only play two quarters, though. You have to play consistently. Credit those guys today. My hat is off to Coach Dykes and his team. You pick up and just move forward."
Alabama (14-4 overall, 2-3 in Southeastern Conference play) had three players finished in double figures, led by junior Ashley Williams. Along with 13 points, Williams had six rebounds. She was followed by sophomore Shaquera Wade with 11 points, and junior Meoshonti Knight, a Central Catholic High alum, had 10 points.
Junior Hannah Cook pulled down a team-high eight rebounds, while freshman Ashley Knight tallied four blocks.
Five of the eight that played for Arkansas (12-6, 1-4) finished in double figures, including freshman Jailyn Mason, who had a game-high 15 points.
After a back-and-forth start, Arkansas went on a 6-0 run for a 12-7 lead at the 5:59 mark. The Razorbacks went ahead by eight, minutes later, but consecutive baskets for Alabama made it a four-point game with 2:48 remaining. Arkansas concluded the period with 10 unanswered points for a 29-15 lead after the first quarter.
Both teams were quiet offensively to start the second with only three points scored in nearly five minutes.
From there, the Razorbacks outscored the Tide, 9-2, down the stretch for a 40-18 halftime lead.
Arkansas scored six of the first eight points of the third quarter to pull in front by 26, its largest lead of the game, but Alabama responded with a 14-4 run to cut its deficit to 16 with 34 seconds remaining in the frame.
The Razorbacks chipped in the final three points for a 53-34 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Tide pulled within 17 during the final 10 minutes but was unable to get any closer.
For the game, Alabama made 30.9 percent (17-55) of its attempts, while Arkansas was 45 percent (27-60) from the floor, including 75 percent (12-16) in the first quarter.
The Razorbacks outrebounded the Tide, 47-31, and had 22 bench points compared to Alabama's 10.
“We just talked about how we were going through some adversity, and at the end of the day, you either let adversity work on you, or you work on it,” Curry said. “My thing is sometimes you just have to make a way, and that starts with you as an individual. Everybody wants the same thing in that room, I can promise you, and that's to be successful, but do we understand what that means? We've got to have great effort and great energy every day and every play, and I think there is too much inconsistency to think it's going to be OK.
“We're depending on somebody else to make a play or do something, so at the end of the day, we certainly want to improve and we feel like we are improving every day, even though the scores the last two games haven't looked like we want,” Curry added.
The Tide will play its third consecutive home game Thursday when it hosts No. 4 Mississippi State at 7 p.m.