Alabama shows effects of layoff

TUSCALOOSA | Playing its first game in 10 days, the University of Alabama women’s basketball team put forth what coach Stephany Smith called a lethargic effort.

After winning its previous three games and four of its past five, the Crimson Tide failed to sustain that momentum, falling 73-62 to East Tennessee State on Wednesday night at Coleman Coliseum.

Tierney Jenkins led Alabama with 18 points and had eight rebounds. Point guard Dedrea Magee scored 12 points. She was 5 of 6 from the field.

East Tennessee State’s Siarre Evans led all scorers with 20 points. She also recorded eight rebounds, two assists and two steals in 27 minutes of action.

Tara Davis scored 12 points for the Lady Bucs and Latisha Belcher added 11.

Alabama trailed 39-34 at the half while allowing East Tennessee State to shoot 46.7 percent from the floor.

“Just not a very good basketball game,” Smith said. “Not a good one from the sideline and I’m sure not a good one from the stands as well.

“Just very lethargic. I think East Tennessee did a good job, in the second half especially, of pushing the ball in transition, and we were pretty much non-existent in our transition defense. So much to the point that even when they missed layups they got their offensive rebound and were laying it up a second time before we got there in time to foul.

“The thing that was most disheartening to me was the body language and look on our faces. That was very frustrating. It was as hard for me to stomach as it was for you.”

The Crimson Tide was 12 of 33 in the first half, including eight missed layups.

Jenkins, the teams leading scorer, had eight points on 2 of 9 shooting in the first half.

Alabama was outrebounded 40-38, including giving up 25 offensive rebounds to East Tennessee State. It was the first game all year in which the Crimson Tide has been outrebounded.

Alabama was 24 of 61, including 3-for-15 from 3-point range. East Tennessee State shot 26 of 67.

The Lady Bucs made 18 of 25 foul shots, while the Crimson Tide was 11 of 18.

Smith said she is concerned with her team’s ability to handle aggressive play as the team prepares to enter their SEC schedule.

“I think our body language and how lethargic we played had a lot to do with how aggressive East Tennessee was able to be,” Smith said. “I think we made them be aggressive. I think we were so non-aggressive and lethargic it encouraged them to be that way.”

Alabama will play Southeast Louisiana at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Coleman Coliseum.

Alabama begins SEC play next Thursday as it hosts South Carolina.