COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Alabama’s season came to a heartbreaking conclusion on Monday night, as the fifth-seeded Crimson Tide fell in double overtime at No. 4 seed Maryland, 111-108, in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. The Crimson Tide’s Sarah Ashlee Barker was phenomenal, finishing with a school record of 45 points to lead four players in double figures.

Barker went 17-of-25 from the floor, 4-of-6 from beyond the arc and 7-of-11 from the charity stripe on her record-setting night. In addition to her scoring record, Barker now holds the school mark for field goals made in a game while she matched the fourth-most points scored in an NCAA Tournament game.  

Barker’s performance nearly led the Crimson Tide to its first Sweet 16 appearance since 1998, as she sparked a 21-4 run through the opening six-plus minutes of the second half to give UA a 62-45 lead in the third quarter. However, Maryland battled back to eventually tie the game and force overtime. After Barker’s three free throws with just tenths-of-a-second forced a second overtime, the Terrapins outscored the Tide 15-12 to seal the comeback win. 

Head Coach Kristy Curry Comments

“There’s a lot of emotion in the locker room. What Sarah Ashlee [Barker] and Aaliyah [Nye] have given [to this program] and Zaay [Green] believed [in this team]. We’re really blessed to have been part of her journey. Then Christabel [Ezumah] and JeAnna [Cunningham], my heart hearts for those five kids.  They’ve represented the University of Alabama and their families with such amazing grace, hard work and grit, toughness and gratitude. It’s difficult. We just wish we had another minute or two. Maryland was able to make a play down the stretch and we weren’t, but I don’t think you understand how much I love and how incredibly proud I am of that group of people in our locker room and how they’ve represented [Alabama] all year long. They had an amazing season, and I don’t want this one day to take away from what they’ve accomplished during their journey at Alabama. I love them all very much.”

Game Notes                                                    

• Alabama concludes the season with a 24-9 overall record, its fourth consecutive 20-win season and fourth time in the last five years the Crimson Tide has reached the NCAA Tournament
• The double overtime contest featured 12 ties and six lead changes
• Sarah Ashlee Barker’s point total was the most points scored by any player in the NCAA Tournament since Ohio State’s Kelsey Mitchell who had 45 vs. West Virginia on March 20, 2016
• Barker topped four Alabama players who reached double figures and finished with eight rebounds and three steals
• Essence Cody added 18 points, five rebounds and five steals, while Zaay Green and Aaliyah Nye both had 11
• Maryland outrebounded Alabama 46-37, including owning a 23-14 edge on the offensive glass which resulted in the Terrapins owning a 22-12 advantage in second chance points
• Alabama outscored Maryland inside the paint, 60-38 
• The Tide finished the night with 21 assists, led by Karly Weathers’ six helpers to go with nine points and five boards
• Alabama shot 54 percent from the floor (40-of-74), 42 percent from deep (11-of-26) and 69 percent from the line (20-of-29)
• In comparison, Maryand shot 45 percent from the field (37-of-82), 42 percent from three-point range (11-of-26) and 84 percent from the charity stripe (26-of-31) 

How it Happened 

• Both squads started the game hot on offense as the Terrapins took a one-point lead to the first quarter media timeout 
• The hot shooting cooled down to end the quarter as both teams picked up the defensive intensity with Maryland ending the frame with a 19-15 lead
• The Terrapins outscored the Crimson Tide 12-6 to force an Alabama timeout less than three minutes into the quarter
• Alabama stormed back to end the quarter shooting 5-of-6 from the floor down the stretch to take a two-point lead, 41-39, to the halftime locker room
• The Crimson Tide started the third quarter quickly, posting a 7-0 run to force an early Maryland timeout (48-41)
• Alabama found its three point rhythm, as a series of triples helped spark an 11-0 run to force another Terrapin timeout in the third quarter (59-45)
• Maryland responded with a 10-2 run to close the gap, but The Crimson Tide took a nine-point lead into the fourth quarter (64-55)
• The Terrapins opened the fourth quarter outscoring the UA 12-9, forcing a quick Alabama timeout with the Tide leading 73-67
• Karly Weathers’ 16-foot jumper at the buzzer was just off the mark as Maryland completed the comeback to force overtime (83-83)
• The back-and-forth contest continued during the first overtime as Barker hit three clutch free throws with seven-tenths of a second remaining and her team down by three to extend the game and force a second overtime
• The Terrapins outscored the Crimson Tide 15-12 in the second overtime period to take the three-point victory