Nye’s School Record Nine Three Pointers Propels No. 23/23 Alabama Past Florida, 84-66

Admin April 26, 2025

2/6/2025 9:03:00 PM | Women’s Basketball

Aaliyah Nye led four Crimson Tide student-athletes who scored in double-figures

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 23/23 Alabama women’s basketball team defeated Florida, 84-66, in Gainesville Thursday evening. The Crimson Tide was led by Aaliyah Nye who finished with a game-high 27 points as she set a school record with a career-high nine three pointers.

With the win, UA completed the regular season sweep over the Gators after defeating UF to open conference play (Jan. 2, 2025),

Nye led Alabama (19-5, 6-4 SEC) as one of four players to score in double figures. Sarah Ashlee Barker finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, while Essence Cody (16 points) and Zaay Green (15 points, six assists) also scored in double figures. The UA starting five of Barker, Cody, Green, Nye and Karly Weathers combined for 78 of Alabama’s 84 points.

Barker and Cody dominated the paint as the duo combined for 19 rebounds, including three blocked shots from Barker.

Liv McGill led Florida (12-12, 3-7 SEC) with 22 points, six rebounds and six assists.

Head Coach Kristy Curry Comments

“We had great balance and selflessness in finding the open person. I thought when Christabel Ezumah and JeAnna Cunningham came in, they gave us great minutes with their presence at the five spot. I thought our kids did a nice job. Our fives, collectively on offense, had a strong presence in the post. Defensively what they did was phenomenal. As much as those things don’t always show up in the stat sheet, they did a nice job of buying into the game plan, and it wasn’t just the offensive side of the ball.”

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Game Notes

Aaliyah Nye set a school record and a new career-high with nine made three pointers

Essence Cody scored 16 points to record her second consecutive game in double-figure scoring

Cody grabbed nine rebounds and blocked two shots to round out her stat line

Sarah Ashlee Barker recorded her first double-double of the season, scoring 18 points and grabbing 10 rebounds

Alabama led for over 33 minutes of the contest which featured seven ties early on

With the win, Alabama picked up its first win in Gainesville, Fla., since the 2020-21 season

Alabama shot 52 percent from the floor (32-of-62), 52 percent from deep (12-of-23) and 73 percent from the line (8-of-11)

In comparison, Florida shot 33 percent from the field (25-of-75), 21 percent from three-point range (4-of-19) and 86 percent from the charity stripe (12-of-14)

How it Happened

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Florida controlled the opening tip, but Alabama took a two-point lead to the first media timeout of the game, as Essence Cody scored six of the Tide’s first 10 points

Cody continued to lead UA, finishing the first quarter with 10 points and two rebounds, as Alabama and Florida were tied at 17 to end the frame

Both squads picked up the defensive intensity in the second quarter, but Alabama pushed the lead to three points, 22-19, at the second quarter media break

The Crimson Tide closed the half on a 10-5 run, taking a five-point lead over the Gators to the halftime locker room, 32-27

Aaliyah Nye sparked Alabama to start the third, hitting three consecutive three-pointers to keep UA’s lead at five points at the third quarter media timeout (43-38)

The Crimson Tide pushed its lead to six points, 56-50, at the end of the third, with 12 of UA’s points in the quarter coming from Nye

Alabama’s offense exploded in the fourth quarter, scoring 18 points to open the quarter, giving the Tide a 13-point advantage at the final media timeout (74-61)

UA closed the game 4-of-5 from the floor to claim its largest lead of the contest at the end of the game

Up Next

Alabama will continue its road stretch, traveling to Starkville, Miss., on Sunday, to face Mississippi State

Tipoff between the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs is set for 1 p.m. CT on SEC Network

Admin April 26, 2025