TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – After trailing by one point with 36 seconds remaining in the game, a layup from Diana Collins secured the 64-63 win for the No. 21/23 Alabama women’s basketball team over No. 13/14 Ole Miss Thursday night. The one-point victory marked the Crimson Tide’s third win over a ranked opponent this season as the team accomplished the feat for the first time since the 1998-99 season. 

Alabama’s (20-4, 6-4 SEC) Jessica Timmons finished with three team-highs as she tallied 23 points, seven rebounds and four steals. Karly Weathers also scored in double digits with 14 points while Ta’Mia Scott added nine points. Additionally, Weathers and Scott grabbed six boards apiece. 

Ole Miss (19-5, 6-3 SEC) saw four players score in double figures as Cotie McMahon finished with a team-high 22 points. 

“Really proud of our team. Honestly, I feel like Karly Weathers and Jessica Timmons should do the opening statement because it’s about their grit, love and gratitude tonight and their leadership. I challenged them the past couple of days, and I’m just happy for our team because I thought we had a different level of toughness about us. We made some good plays with great execution down the stretch and were able to get some critical stops. I thought it was Karly’s voice, leadership and extension of our coaching staff and Jess was assisting her. It was really special tonight to watch these two embrace hard the way they did.”

Game Notes

• Head coach Kristy Curry earned her 550^th career win following the 64-63 victory
• The Crimson Tide earned its 20th win on the season, marking the fastest 20-win performance in program history and surpassing last season’s school record-setting feat (Feb. 9, 2025 at Mississippi State)
• Jessica Timmons (23) and Karly Weathers (14) extended their double-digit scoring streaks to eight and seven games, respectively 
• Naomi Jones recorded a team-high two blocks, giving her at least one block in the last 9-of-10 games. She has also recorded a block in every SEC contest, except for Georgia
• Alabama shot 23-of-60 (38 percent) from the floor, 8-of-19 (42 percent) from deep and 10-of-12 (83 percent) from the free throw line
• In comparison, Ole Miss shot 22-of-59 (37 percent) from the floor, 2-of-9 (22 percent) from deep and 17-of-27 (83 percent) from the charity stripe

How it Happened

• Alabama outscored Ole Miss 18-14 in the opening stanza with nine points coming from Ta’Mia Scott 
• The Rebels captured the lead in the second frame thanks to a 6-0 run, which they held until the end of the quarter 
• Alabama and Ole Miss split the final two minutes of the half, 6-5, to end the quarter with the Rebels up by three points (28-25)
• Ole Miss held onto the lead until the end of the third quarter, despite Alabama coming within two points nine times
• At the six-second mark in the third stanza, a three pointer from Ace Austin turned the lead back over to Alabama (48-47)
• The Rebels retook the lead less than a minute into the fourth quarter before a series of nine lead changes racked the game
• With less than a minute left in the contest, Ole Miss took a one-point lead (62-63) off a free throw from Latasha Lattimore
• A missed layup by Ole Miss set Diana Collins up for the winning shot, 64-63, that was cemented by a defensive rebound from Naomi Jones to close the game

Up Next

• Alabama will travel to Texas A&M on Sunday, Feb. 8, to take on the Aggies at 5:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network