Fast Start, Dominant Defense Propel Alabama Women to National Championship Game

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The University of Alabama women’s wheelchair basketball team got a first-round bye due to their high seed, but the No. 1 seed Crimson Tide opened got off to a fast start once they started their tournament play as they jumped out to a 14-2 lead over the No. 4 seed University of Arizona five minutes into the game.

Alabama outscored Arizona in each quarter and came away with a 65-35 win over Arizona in the semifinals of the Women’s Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball National Tournament on the evening of March 8 at Stran-Hardin Arena where every tournament game is being held.

“It starts from our warmup. We had a really good warmup as a team,” said Alabama graduate student Joy Haizelden. “I think the home crowd got us really hyped for the game. We have a job to do here, and that’s to go win a national championship!”

Ten of Haizelden’s game-high 22 points came in the first quarter.


Alabama graduate student Joy Haizelden (12, pictured) had a game-high 22 points in the Crimson Tide's 65-35 win over the University of Arizona in the semifinals of the Women's Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball National Tournament on the evening of March 8 at Stran-Hardin Arena
(photo courtesy of Alabama Adapted Athletics)

See the complete box score from the game here

Alabama held Arizona to five points on in the second quarter – three of which came in the final 30 seconds of the quarter – and six points in the third quarter, and the Tide led 52-23 after three quarters.

The Crimson Tide held Arizona to 2/11 (18.9 percent) shooting in the second quarter, 2/10 (20.0 percent) shooting in the third quarter, and 14/49 (28.6 percent) shooting on the game overall.

“We know what we do well, and we know we’re a defensive team,” proclaimed Alabama coach Ryan Hynes.

A general tournament preview: Up Next for Alabama Women: the National Tournament

Alabama senior Bailey Moody came off the bench and finished with 13 points and seven rebounds.

"All year Bailey has really bought into the role I’ve asked her to play coming off the bench and just staying ready, and she’s done an amazing job of that," said Hynes. "We had some great conversations this year, and she’s put herself in a mental state to be able to enter the game hot, which is really hard to do when you’re coming off the bench sometimes. She comes in and gives us an offensive punch, and she’s been playing amazing defense this year."

Alabama will play No. 2 seed University of Texas at Arlington – who also got a bye in the first round and beat No. 3 seed University of Illinois in the other semifinal game – in the national championship game at 2:00 on the afternoon of March 9.


The national championship matchup between No. 1 seed Alabama and No. 2 seed Texas-Arlington -- a rematch of last year's national championship game which Alabama won 88-41 -- has been set

The two teams played seven times during the regular season with Alabama winning all seven times en route to its undefeated 23-0 record in college play, which earned the Crimson Tide the top seed for the tournament.

Alabama’s average margin of victory in those seven games was 15.3 points. The closest game was a 51-47 win in their sixth matchup on Jan. 27.

“That’s a great team. We’re looking forward to a battle, a fight,” said Haizelden. “They’re going to come out with a lot of energy and so are we.”

The two teams met in last year’s national championship game, which Alabama won 88-41, giving the program its fourth consecutive national championship and ninth overall.

See also: Up Next for Alabama Men: the National Tournament

The team has about 18 hours between the end of the semifinal game and the start of the championship game, but Hynes didn’t see that short turnaround time as an issue.

“I think people are going to be excited. The adrenaline’s still high, but we’ll get the rest that we need, and we’ll show up ready to go tomorrow,” he said. “Even if we don’t get good rest, a championship game will get you woken up, so we’ll ready to go for sure!

The Alabama women are seeking their fifth consecutive national championship and the program’s tenth overall national championship.

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