LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Jessica Timmons scored 21 points, Essence Cody added 19, and sixth-seeded Alabama beat 11th-seeded Rhode Island 68-55 in the first round of the NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament Saturday at the KFC Yum! Center.
The Crimson Tide (24-10) won a first-round game for the third straight year, advancing this time by shooting 53.2% (25-of-47) from the field and outscoring the Rams 42-12 in the paint to dominate inside. Alabama’s Diana Collins scored 16 points on 7-for-9 shooting from the field.
Other than Brooklyn Gray’s 3-pointer on the Rams’ first possession, Alabama led throughout. The Southeastern Conference’s Tide outscored Atlantic 10 champion Rhode Island 14-1 over the first 7:26 of the second quarter to build a 30-14 lead.
Defense played a big role in Alabama’s run as Rhode Island (28-5) went just 1-for-19 over an 11-minute stretch in the first half. That included missing eight 3-point attempts and committing a pair of shot-clock violations.
“We were just wanting to keep them in front and contest every shot,” Alabama coach Kristy Curry said. “So I thought our kids did a really nice job of staying consistent with the game plan. I thought that gave us a lot of energy when we started to see success with the tendencies and how we wanted to play.”
Alabama’s second-round game is at noon Monday against site host Louisville (28-7). The third-seeded Cardinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference won 72-52 against No. 14 seed Vermont, the America East champion, in Saturday’s other game on the court.
The Louisville site is part of Regional 3, which will play its Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games next weekend in Fort Worth, Texas. Alabama is seeking its seventh trip to the Sweet 16 but first since 1998.
In the Alabama-Rhode Island matchup, the Rams closed the first half on a 9-1 run and cut the Tide’s lead to eight points going into the break.
Cody drew her third foul just 72 seconds into the second half, sending the 6-foot-4 junior to the bench for nearly the remainder of the quarter. Rhode Island closed within four points three times in the third before the Tide used a 12-0 run to pull away.
Rams coach Tammi Reiss said point guard Sophia Vital picking up her third foul midway through the quarter hurt her team’s chances.
“What you’re hoping for is it’s a (close) game in the fourth quarter,” she said. “You’re not playing catch-up.”
Timmons scored eight of her 11 third-quarter points during the run.
Alabama entered Saturday averaging 22.7 3-point attempts per game. The Tide put up a season-low 10 on Saturday, but what that created was an opportunity to dominate inside.
“A lot of teams’ game plan is going to be to run us off the line, and if they do, we’re going to score in the paint,” Timmons said.
Alabama converted four of its 3-point attempts, including three by Cody, who was 10-of-30 behind the arc this season heading into March Madness. The three makes were a career high for the junior post, who said they helped create chances for her teammates to attack the rim.
Ines Debroise and Palmire Mbu each scored 11 points for the Rams, who shot 32.8% (19-of-58).
Rhode Island played in its second NCAA tournament and first in 30 years Saturday, and Reiss hopes the Rams won’t have to wait that long for a third trip.
The seventh-year coach has led the program to four 20-win seasons out of the past five. She said she took inspiration from Danny Hurley, who had reestablished the Rams men’s program before leaving for Connecticut, which he guided to back-to-back national titles in 2023-24.
“I was like, this is going to happen,” she said. “We promised Rhode Island this, and now we achieved it. Now can you sustain it? That’s the question, and that’s the next phase of Rhode Island basketball. … It’s been a process. A lot of ups, a lot of downs, but well worth the journey.”