88-40: Alabama Women's Basketball Dominates Final Exhibition Game

Alabama Overwhelms Mississippi Christian 88-40 in Final Preseason Tune-Up

The Alabama women’s basketball team rolled to an 88-40 victory over Mississippi Christian inside Coleman Coliseum on Tuesday night, wrapping up an undefeated preseason before games count for real next month. The Crimson Tide outscored the Choctaws 40-10 in the paint and dominated the glass with a 61-31 rebounding advantage.

Tuesday night’s blowout wasn’t just about the final margin. It was a thorough dismantling on both ends of the floor that highlighted how fast this Alabama roster can play when shots start falling. Ace Austin led all scorers with 21 points, shooting 4-of-8 from beyond the arc while dishing out nine assists. Tianna Chambers added 16 points, and Naomi Jones chipped in 10 points alongside nine rebounds, narrowly missing a double-double.

Alabama Defense Smothers Mississippi Christian

Alabama’s defensive intensity completely smothered Mississippi Christian as the game wore on. The Crimson Tide blocked 13 shots on the night—led by five rejections from Jones—and held the Choctaws scoreless for a grueling stretch of 5:43 in the second quarter. That defensive clamp-down turned a comfortable lead into a 46-23 halftime cushion.

While the starters did the heavy lifting early, the bench got plenty of work. Every single one of Alabama’s 12 available players saw action and recorded at least one statistic. Aaliyah Roberson grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds to go with her seven points, pacing a defensive effort that limited Mississippi Christian to just 21 percent shooting from the floor (14-of-68).

Even with the lopsided score, head coach Kristy Curry saw room for growth before the lights turn on for real.

I think this exhibition game showed us where we are and the things we need to work on. There were sometimes where I thought that we could have been better, especially defensively, but that’s why you have the exhibition games, and we just build on it.

Offensively, the ball movement hummed smoothly. The Crimson Tide collected 24 assists on 33 made field goals, shooting 52 percent overall (33-of-64) and 39 percent from deep (9-of-23). Fastbreak points heavily favored the home side at 24-7.

Looking Ahead to November

With the exhibition slate officially in the rearview mirror, attention turns immediately to the games that matter. Alabama enters the regular season undefeated and will host its season opener on Monday, Nov. 2, carrying the lessons—and the lingering defensive critiques—from Tuesday’s blowout straight into game week.