TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama picked up its fourth-straight Southeastern Conference victory for the first time since 1998 after defeating Missouri 73-61 in the regular season finale on Sunday afternoon inside Coleman Coliseum. The Crimson Tide's (18-11, 8-8 SEC) win over the Tigers (8-21, 5-11 SEC) was a big one as the Tide finish at an even 8-8 in SEC play. Over the past eight seasons, every SEC team that has finished with an 8-8 mark in conference play has made it into the NCAA Tournament.

In addition, the 8-8 record in conference competition is the best finish for an Alabama team since 2001-02 when the Tide ended the regular season at 7-7 in the SEC. The 18 regular season wins are also the most by UA since the 1997-98 team.

The Tide entered Sunday's game as the top team in the "First Four Out" according to ESPNw Bracketologist, Charlie Crème. Alabama went into the game with an RPI of 52 to go along with the 29th-toughest schedule in the country.

Senior Cierra Johnson finished with 17 points in her final regular season home game, while sophomore Megan Abrams dropped 11 points. Redshirt junior Jordan Lewis and junior Ariyah Copeland added 10 points apiece.

From Coach Curry

"I'm just really proud of our team today, this is an emotional day," said head coach Kristy Curry . "Our senior class has meant so much to this program. Ashley Knight broke the blocks record and has been a four-year kid that has really stood strong through so many ups and downs. Amber Richardson came in as a transfer with her work ethic and her passion, she is just a warrior and is going to go into coaching and I am so proud of her. Shelby Gibson , I mean to fight through injury after injury and to make the decision that she could no longer do it to her body. I am just so proud of what she has brought as a person and a teammate. This young lady next to me ( Cierra Johnson ), nobody has been through more. I'm just really proud of Cierra. There was so much going on and I thought our kids just really fought through and found a way to win and that's a mark of a really good team."

Quarter-By-Quarter

The first quarter stayed close with Missouri leading Alabama 14-12 after the first 10 minutes of action.

UA took its first lead of the game to start the second quarter, jumping out to a 22-18 advantage at the 6:34 mark. The Tide went up 27-20 with 3:41 left in the second, but the Tigers went on a 9-0 run to take back the lead. With seven seconds left in the quarter, Johnson hit a three to give Alabama the 34-31 advantage heading into the half.

The Tide went on a 5-0 run in the first four minutes of the third, but UM came right back with Alabama holding a 47-44 lead with 2:49 left. The Tide closed out the quarter on an 8-3 run, highlighted with a layup from Johnson in the final seconds to give UA the 55-47 lead with one quarter remaining.

Alabama held tight to its lead in the fourth quarter. Missouri cut the lead to seven with 5:29 left, but Alabama came right back with a 9-4 run over the last five minutes of the game to put the game out of reach. The Tide knocked down free throws down the stretch to defeat the Tigers 73-61.

Player Spotlight

Johnson went 7-of-15 (46 percent) from the field on her way to 17 points and grabbed five rebounds.

Junior Jasmine Walker had a team-high 12 rebounds and a team-high plus/minus of 14.

had a team-high 12 rebounds and a team-high plus/minus of 14. Lewis added five assists and five rebounds to go along with her 10 points.

Key Stats

The Tide controlled the boards and the paint, outrebounding (40-31) and outscoring (40-24) the Tigers in the win.

Alabama shot 48 percent (27-of-56) from the floor, while the Tide defense held Missouri to 36 percent (21-of-59) from the field.

Up Next

Alabama will travel to Greenville, S.C., for the 2020 SEC Tournament as the No. 8 seed. The Crimson Tide will face No. 9 seed Georgia in the second round on Thursday, March 5 at 11 a.m. CT inside Bon Secours Wellness Arena. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network. The winner of the contest will take on No. 1 South Carolina in the quarterfinals on Friday at 11 a.m. CT.

For all the latest information on the team, follow AlabamaWBB on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. General athletic news can be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.