Zaay Green scores 27 and No. 19 Alabama women open SEC play with a 79-69 win over Florida

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TUSCALOOSA. Ala. (AP) — Zaay Green had 27 points and six assists to help No. 19 Alabama beat Florida 79-69 on Thursday night for its 13th straight home victory.

Alabama (14-1), which won an SEC opener for the first time since the 2021-22 season, is off to its best start in program history, having only lost to now-No. 20 California.

Alabama was without leading scorer Sarah Ashlee Barker, averaging 16.1 points per game, for most of the game after she suffered an injury with eight minutes to go in the second quarter. She was helped off the floor by the athletic staff and did not return.

Diana Collins added 12 points and Aaliyah Nye had 10 for Alabama. Essence Cody grabbed 11 rebounds to go with nine points. Green was 12 of 22 from the field, while her teammate went 20 of 41.

Liv McGill scored 18 points and Ra Shaya Kyle recorded her ninth double-double of the season with 11 points and 13 rebounds for Florida (9-6, 0-1). Jeriah Warren and Alexia Mobley each scored 12.

Alabama opened the game on a 19-5 run, with six points apiece by Barker and Nye, and it was 41-31 at halftime. The Crimson Tide led by double figures for a majority of the second half, with Florida getting as close as eight points with 2:30 left in the fourth.

Alabama stays home to play Missouri on Sunday, followed by three ranked opponents in Texas, Mississippi and South Carolina. Florida also has a home game against Georgia on Sunday.

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