Knight scores 10 in Bama rout

The University of Alabama women’s basketball team earned a decisive 71-27 victory against Arkansas-Pine Bluff Tuesday afternoon inside Coleman Coliseum in front of thousands of fifth graders.
“The crowd today and the fifth graders that were here were absolutely wonderful,” Alabama head coach Kristy Curry said in a news release. “I told our players before the game that when those kids leave here today they need to know what great energy and effort is — whether it’s your books, sports or everyday life. We had an opportunity to really impact their lives today in a positive way, and I thought our team came out with a lot of energy. It was awesome to see so much energy in the building, and we are appreciative of our school system’s support today. We hope that we were able to give a little bit back by displaying our energy and effort in how much we appreciate it.”
In the win, former Central Catholic High School standout Meoshonti Knight scored 10 points and also recorded four steals on her 19th birthday.
Her effort contributed to a Crimson Tide season-high 16 steals as a team.
Alabama recorded 40 of its 71 points off turnovers.
Eleven of the Tide’s 12 players scored a point in the contest, with senior Briana Hutchen leading Alabama with 15 points. Hannah Cook also scored in double-digits with 11 points and contributed a team-high five assists.
In her second game with the Tide, sophomore transfer Breanna Hayden recorded a team-high 10 rebounds while adding five points to the team total.
Alabama (9-4) limited Arkansas-Pine Bluff (2-7) to only 27 points, the lowest total by an Alabama opponent this season and the second-lowest in Tide history. The lowest opponent point total was 21 by Georgia State on Dec. 21, 1990.
The 47-point win was also the UA’s largest margin of victory since Dec. 1, 2010, when it earned a 49-point victory against Alabama State, 80-31.
Alabama put up 16 unanswered points to start the game, holding Arkansas-Pine Bluff scoreless for nearly five minutes.
The Tide continued to lead throughout the period, pulling ahead by as many as 37 and took a 42-11 advantage into the locker room at halftime.
UA picked up right where it left off after the break and outscored the Lady Lions, 29-16, in the second half.
The Tide took its largest lead of the game for the first time at the 6:29 mark when it went ahead by 44. Its lead would again reach 44 with 52 seconds to go.
Alabama will play its final game before the holiday break, returning to its usual home of Foster Auditorium Sunday to take on New Orleans.
The game will be a meeting of former Central Catholic teammates as Knight and fellow ex-Central Catholic standout and UNO freshman Randi Brown will be face each other on the collegiate level.
Knight enters Sunday’s matchup averaging 7.3 points per game, good enough for fourth on the team. She also averages 2.7 rebounds and has recorded 16 assists and 17 steals this season.
Brown, whose Privateers will face Tulsa in Oklahoma Thursday before the Alabama matchup, is fourth on the UNO team in scoring with an average of 7 points per contest. She also has recorded six assist and two steals in six games this season.
Sunday’s game will tip off at 2 p.m. and will be aired on SEC Network +.
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