When Brittany Davis Struggled, Others Stepped Up For Alabama Women's Basketball

Before Davis erupted in the fourth quarter, it was Aaliyah Nye, Sarah Ashlee Barker and Ryan Cobbins who did the scoring against Auburn.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — By only looking at the stat sheet, your first thought may have been "Brittany Davis did it again" in regard to Alabama's dominating 69-46 victory in women's basketball at Coleman Coliseum on Sunday. 

And you would not be completely wrong.

Yes, the Crimson Tide guard did finish with her second straight double-double, 18 points and a career-high 17 rebounds. But it was during the fourth quarter when Davis did most of her damage, scoring 10 points and grabbing six boards.

Davis struggled during the first half, scoring only five points on 2-for-7 shooting from the field while missing all five 3-point attempts. The poor shooting wasn't just exclusive to Davis, however; both teams shot a combined 3-for-20 on 3-pointers and 38 percent from the field. 

The separating factor came from Aaliyah Nye, who scored nine of her 11 points in the second quarter.

"A lot of my points came in transition," Nye said. "With my teammates giving me the extra pass, I think just sharing the ball helped me get my points in the second quarter."

Her two 3-pointers helped spark the scoring for the Crimson Tide, including a key 9-0 run that gave Alabama the boost it needed.

Sarah Ashlee Barker and Ryan Cobbins were the other double-digit scorers with 11 and 10 points, respectively. 

Barker has come along as a scorer ever since conference play began (she's second in scoring during that time). 

However, Cobbins, who had not scored in double figures prior to the game, became the x-factor.

"We just have a lot of confidence in Ryan, regardless if it's at the 4 or 5," head coach Kristy Curry said. "Jada [Rice] struggled to ever get in the flow today, and fortunately Ryan stepped up.

"It's not always about points and rebounds, but it seems like Ryan's always where she's supposed to be. It's the little things she does as for as her screening and spacing that opens things up."

All of Cobbins' points came in the paint, and just like Curry said, she was in the right place to receive a dump pass off a drive or a screen and finished at the rim, sometimes through contact.

The victory put this year's team one away from the 20-win mark for the season, which Alabama will hope to notch on Thursday against visiting Vanderbilt (6 p.m. CT, SEC Network+).

It also continued the Crimson Tide's recent dominance over Auburn, following football and soccer in the fall, plus men's basketball, gymnastics and women's basketball in a 3-day span. 

When asked about the success in the Iron Bowl rivalry, Nye's replay was short:

"We own this state."

See also: Alabama Women's Basketball Wins Season Series Against Auburn

All Things CW: Super Bowl Edition and the Latest with the Crimson Tide

Full-Court Press: Takeaways from Alabama Basketball at Auburn