# SEC Women's Basketball: Alabama Crimson Tide Defeats Florida Gators 76-71 **Published:** 2026-03-06 — **By:** Bailey Patterson **Category:** games — **Type:** game-recap **Source:** https://secscouts.com/news/alabama-womens-basketball-defeats-florida-gators-recap-2026 **Teams:** [Alabama](https://secscouts.com/alabama/), [Florida](https://secscouts.com/florida/) --- GAINESVILLE, Fla. (02/21/2026) — Jessica Timmons erupted for a career-high 34 points, leading a critical fourth-quarter comeback to give the No. 25 Alabama Crimson Tide a hard-fought 76-71 road victory over the Florida Gators on Saturday. ### How It Happened The Crimson Tide stormed out of the gates, hitting three early 3-pointers to build a 9-2 lead just minutes into the contest. Timmons and fellow standout Ta'Mia Scott, who finished with a new career-best 21 points, set the tone with sharp shooting from the perimeter. Alabama pushed its advantage to as many as 12 points in the second quarter, entering halftime with a 38-32 lead. Florida, however, refused to back down in front of a home crowd of 2,351 at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. The Gators mounted a ferocious rally late in the third quarter, ripping off a 12-0 run to seize a 58-54 lead heading into the final frame. Liv McGill was instrumental for the Gators, scoring seven points during that pivotal stretch and finishing the game with 19 points and eight assists. ### Turning Point The game's decisive moments came midway through the fourth quarter. After Florida took its last lead at 68-66 with five minutes remaining, Timmons took over. The Alabama guard was unstoppable, hitting a go-ahead 3-pointer and converting a three-point play to cap an 8-0 run that put the Crimson Tide ahead 74-68 with just 1:24 left on the clock. She would add two final free throws, scoring Alabama's last eight points to seal the crucial conference win. ### Star of the Game Without question, Jessica Timmons was the difference-maker. Her career-best 34 points came on an incredibly efficient 11-for-17 shooting from the field, including a blistering 7-for-10 from three-point range. Scott provided a powerful secondary scoring punch with her 21 points. For the Gators, four players scored in double figures, with Jade Weathersby (13), Laila Reynolds (12), and Nyadieng Yiech (10) joining McGill. ### What It Means For the Alabama Crimson Tide, the victory snaps a frustrating three-game losing streak and improves their record to 21-7 overall and 7-7 in the rugged Southeastern Conference. The win was a testament to their offensive firepower, as they shot a blistering 54% from the field and 52% from beyond the arc. The Florida Gators, despite a significant 37-28 rebounding advantage, fall to 16-13 on the season and 4-10 in conference play. The loss stings, but the balanced scoring attack and third-quarter resilience demonstrated their ability to compete with ranked opponents. --- *Original article: [SEC Women's Basketball: Alabama Crimson Tide Defeats Florida Gators 76-71](https://secscouts.com/news/alabama-womens-basketball-defeats-florida-gators-recap-2026) — SEC Scouts*