TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama women's basketball team used balanced scoring and stifling defense in its, 90-32, victory in the 2017-18 season opener on Friday night in Coleman Coliseum.

"I loved our crowd," said Alabama head coach Kristy Curry . "That was definitely the best home opening crowd we have had, especially on a Friday night before everyone heads to Starkville (for football). Our men were on TV, and I know there were a lot of folks watching that pregame, but congratulations to Coach Avery (Johnson) and his guys on a great win over a very good Memphis team. Again, I loved our energy, effort and passion tonight. One word we talked about is consistency, and we can handle anything that happens when we have that kind of energy, enthusiasm and passion about our actions."

The Tide offense was led by freshman Ariyah Copeland , who started off her collegiate career with 16 points and 15 rebounds off the bench, while senior Ashley Williams matched Copeland with 16 points of her own. Senior Hannah Cook finished the game with 14 points and a career-high six steals, and senior Meoshonti Knight rounded out the UA double-digit scorers with 10 points.

On the defensive side of the ball, Alabama forced 31 Lady Bulldog turnovers and held A&M to just 25 percent shooting on the night. Sophomore Ashley Knight picked up right where she left off last year, adding seven blocks on the night to bring her career total to 97.

The Crimson Tide jumped on the Lady Bulldogs early, going up 11-0 in the first quarter, while not allowing an A&M field goal until the 1:56 mark in the opening period.

Alabama continued to pour on the points heading into halftime, much in part to the relentless full-court press, which led to numerous A&M turnovers and helped UA build a 39-9 advantage at the break.

The Tide defense did not let up coming out of halftime and continued to put the pressure on the Lady Bulldogs, extending the lead to 69-20 heading into the fourth quarter.

By the end of the game, UA had nine different players scoring in the contest.

The Tide will return to action on Monday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. CT against Utah. The game will air live on SEC Network+.

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