TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (Interstat) — The Alabama women’s basketball team opened its season with a dominant 92-56 victory over Queens (NC) on Monday at Coleman Coliseum. The Crimson Tide improved to 1-0, while the Royals fell to 0-1 in front of an announced attendance of 2,376. Alabama used a balanced offensive attack and a smothering defense to pull away, never trailing after the first quarter and turning a close early contest into a lopsided win.

Queens started strong, scoring the game’s first points on two free throws by Ashantay Noble. After Alabama made one of two free throws, Makayla Minshall hit a layup and Breah Franks added a free throw to give the Royals a 5-1 lead. Alabama answered with a layup from Amirah Anderson and two free throws from Caitlin Staley to tie the game at 5. Minshall then hit a 3-pointer to put Queens ahead 8-5, but that would be the Royals’ last lead of the game. Alabama closed the first quarter on a 20-2 run, fueled by layups from Naomi Jones, Tianna Chambers, Alayna West and Kylie Torrence, along with free throws from Mykelle Richards. By the end of the first quarter, Alabama led 25-10. The Crimson Tide’s defense held Queens to just 3-of-15 shooting in the period while forcing five turnovers.

The second quarter was more competitive, with Queens outscoring Alabama 16-13. The Royals got a layup from Ahmani Klabunde and a jump shot from Ryan Davis, while Makayla Minshall continued to attack. Alabama countered with 3-pointers from Amirah Anderson, Ace Austin and Kylie Torrence. Aaliyah Roberson added a pair of layups, and Mykelle Richards converted a three-point play. Despite the Royals’ improved play, Alabama took a 38-26 lead into halftime. Ace Austin had seven points and four rebounds at the break, while Kylie Torrence had eight points and five rebounds. Makayla Minshall led Queens with 10 points.

Alabama put the game out of reach in the third quarter, outscoring Queens 32-20 to extend its lead to 70-46. The Crimson Tide opened the second half with a layup from Naomi Jones and never looked back. Caitlin Staley made a layup and a tip-in layup, Aaliyah Roberson hit a 3-pointer, and Ace Austin added a layup. Kylie Torrence made a free throw and later a jump shot. Alabama’s defense took over, blocking three shots in the quarter and forcing six turnovers. Queens tried to keep pace with a 3-pointer from Ahmani Klabunde and a 3-pointer from Ashantay Noble, but the Crimson Tide’s depth and size proved too much. By the end of the third, Alabama led by 24 points.

The fourth quarter was more of the same, as Alabama outscored Queens 22-10. Queens’ Makayla Minshall did her best to keep the score respectable, hitting three 3-pointers in the final period, including a stepback jumper and a field goal. Paulina Reichenauer also hit a 3-pointer for the Royals. But Alabama answered every run. Ace Austin made a 3-pointer, Amirah Anderson hit two 3-pointers, Mykelle Richards made a tip-in layup, and Kylie Torrence added a tip-in layup and a jump shot. Alayna West made a layup, and Tianna Chambers added a layup. The Crimson Tide emptied their bench in the final minutes, and the final horn sounded with Alabama on top 92-56.

Alabama shot 33 of 73 from the floor, 45.2 percent, and 9 of 25 from three-point range, 36.0 percent. Queens shot 20 of 64, 31.3 percent, and 7 of 17 from beyond the arc, 41.2 percent. The Crimson Tide made 17 of 29 free throws, 58.6 percent, while the Royals made 9 of 14, 64.3 percent. Alabama dominated the offensive glass, grabbing 15 offensive rebounds to Queens’ 6. The Crimson Tide also had 10 assists to the Royals’ 6, and Alabama blocked 8 shots while committing 13 turnovers. Queens committed 17 turnovers. Alabama finished with an offensive rating of 108.5 over 85 possessions, while Queens had a 68.6 offensive rating over 82 possessions.

Kylie Torrence led Alabama with 16 points, nine rebounds, one assist and one block in 19 minutes. She was the top star for the Crimson Tide, consistently scoring in the paint and on the glass. Ace Austin added 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 29 minutes. Amirah Anderson had 14 points, five rebounds, five assists and one block. Alayna West contributed eight points, seven rebounds and five assists. Mykelle Richards posted 10 points, six rebounds and two assists, while Aaliyah Roberson had 10 points, four rebounds, one assist and one block. Caitlin Staley finished with six points, four rebounds, one assist and four blocks. Naomi Jones grabbed eight rebounds to go with five points and one block. For Queens, Makayla Minshall scored a game-high 18 points to go with five rebounds and three assists. Ashantay Noble added 11 points, five rebounds and two assists. Ahmani Klabunde chipped in seven points, and Ryan Davis had four points.

The most important part of the game was Alabama’s decisive first-quarter run and its dominant third quarter. After falling behind 8-5 early, the Crimson Tide closed the first quarter on a 20-2 run to take control. Then, leading 38-26 at halftime, Alabama opened the third quarter with a 12-4 run and never let Queens closer than 20 points the rest of the way. The Crimson Tide’s interior defense, led by Caitlin Staley’s four blocks, and their offensive rebounding advantage of 15 to 6 proved to be the difference. Alabama’s ability to score in the paint and get second-chance opportunities overwhelmed the Royals.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Alabama 68, Queens 52. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Alabama with a 99.9 percent probability to win. Queens next plays at Vanderbilt, while Alabama hosts New Orleans.