GREENVILLE, S.C. – Shaquera Wade scored a career-high 26 points and Jasmine Walker added 22 to help No. 11 seed Alabama beat Vanderbilt 74-57 on Wednesday in the first round of the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
Walker was 8-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-3 from behind the arc, and Cierra Johnson finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for Alabama (14-16).
LeaLea Carter led Vanderbilt (7-23) with 14 points on 7-of-12 shooting. Carter, who came off the bench, also added seven boards. The rest of the Commodores made just 17 of 53 (32 percent) from the field.
Brinae Alexander’s 13 points complemented Cierra Walker’s 11, with Mariella Fasoula narrowly missing a double-double with nine points and 10 boards.
Jasmine Walker and Johnson scored four points apiece in a 10-0 run that gave Alabama a 22-11 lead with about six and a half minutes left in the second quarter, and Wade scored eight points in the last five minutes of the half, including two 3-pointers, to make it 32-20 at halftime. The Crimson Tide led by double figures the rest of the way.
Alabama, which came in shooting 39.1 percent from the field this season, shot a season-high 53.8 percent (28 of 52).
