Florida State University Athletics
Florida State
23-11,12-6ACC
University of Alabama
24-9,10-6SEC
Alabama Defeats Florida State in NCAA First Round
3/22/2024 8:43:00 PM | Women's Basketball
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Freshman Essence Cody had season highs with 20 points and 14 rebounds, and No. 8 seed Alabama defeated No. 9 Florida State 82-74 on Friday in the first round of the women's NCAA Tournament.
Working inside, the 6-foot-4 Cody more than doubled her average of eight points a game. She also blocked four shots.
Cody made a layup on a pick-and-roll to give Alabama (24-9) a 74-69 lead with 2:33 left.
O'Mariah Gordon quickly countered with a 3-pointer for Florida State (23-11), but Aaliyah Nye — who finished with 18 points — made a 3 of her own for Alabama with 1:21 remaining.
Alabama, which shot 5 of 6 from the foul line in the final 44 seconds, will face No. 1 seed Texas on Sunday.
Ta'Niya Latson led Florida State (23-11) with 25 points and five assists. Makayla Timpson had 23 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.
Alabama played without its third-leading scorer, Jessica Timmons, a starting guard who had a season-ending knee injury during the Southeastern Conference Tournament. She averaged 11.2 points a game. Karly Weathers, her replacement, had 18 points and five assists.
Latson and Timpson scored nine each in the fourth quarter, leading a comeback after Florida State trailed by 12 at the end of the third.
