Alabama WBB Loses Heartbreaker to Missouri

Sarah Ashlee Barker's shot at the buzzer was off the mark as the Crimson Tide lost a one-point game to the Tigers.

Alabama had a shot on the final play of the game, but Sarah Ashlee Barker's jumper rolled off the rim at the buzzer, and the Missouri Tigers held on for a one-point win. 

Despite a season high in points from star guard Brittany Davis, Missouri beat Alabama 66-65 inside Coleman Coliseum Thursday night. Davis had 26 points and six rebounds for the Crimson Tide.

"That's a tough one," Alabama head coach Kristy Curry said after the game. "Credit our kids for fighting, clawing and scraping themselves back into it. Made some plays down the stretch, but just couldn't finish there at the end. It's a tough one, but we'll bounce back."

The Tigers had the ball and a 3-point lead with 32 seconds left, but Alabama got a stop on defense, and Barker scored two free throws on the other end to pull the Crimson Tide within one. Missouri's Hayley Frank was called for an offensive foul to give Alabama the ball back with 22 seconds left and no timeouts. 

Davis went in for a layup and was denied inside. The Crimson Tide gathered in the offensive rebound, but Barker's shot at the buzzer wasn't on target for the Tigers to escape with the road win. 

It was a back-and-forth affair with neither team able to build any sort of significant lead after Alabama got out to a hot start in the first quarter with a 16-7 lead. 

But the Crimson Tide's shooting cooled off as the game went on. After shooting 5-of-11 from beyond the arc in the first half, the Crimson Tide made just two of its next nine 3-point shots. Alabama held a two-point lead at halftime that evaporated in the third quarter with the Tigers ultimately coming out on top.

Alabama drops to 12-4 overall and 1-2 in SEC play. Next up for the Crimson Tide is a road trip so Auburn on Sunday at 4 p.m.