Sarah Ashlee Barker sets new school record, makes national headlines in Alabama’s loss to Maryland
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The Alabama women’s basketball team was losing players left and right during its Round of 32 battle against Maryland on Monday night. Three starters fouled out and the Tide’s 17-point second half lead disappeared.
That would be enough reasons to just lay down and give up for a lot of players but not for Alabama’s Sarah Ashlee Barker.
The fifth-year senior kept pushing, willing her team in a double-overtime thriller against the higher-seeded Terrapins in their own gym.
And while the Tide still saw its season come to an end, Barker’s performance was one that will be remembered across the country for years to come.
Record-breaking performance
Alabama fans already knew the name Barker from the football field thanks to quarterback Jay Barker but Sarah Ashlee has certainly done enough to step out of her father’s shadow. Monday’s game just cemented that fact.
In the Tide’s loss, Barker’s stat line included:
- Program-record 45 points
- 17-of-25 shooting overall
- 4-of-6 on 3-pointers
- 8 rebounds
- 3 assists
- 3 steals
Barker played all but 55 seconds of the Round of 32 game against Maryland as the Crimson Tide searched for its first Sweet 16 berth since 1998.
It looked like she would be the hero at the end of regulation when she knocked down a go-ahead 3-pointer with 37 seconds to go. Barker then blocked Maryland’s first attempt to tie the game but a loose ball found its way back to the Terrapins who knocked down a three to force overtime.
Barker would shine again at the end of the first overtime. Alabama was in desperation mode in the final seconds and Barker heaved a deep 3-pointer, getting fouled with the Tide trailing by three points. Barker, who made just four of her first eight free throw attempts, stepped to the line with less than a second on the clock and calmly made all three free throws to force a second overtime.
Barker scored 12 of her points during the two overtime periods and the Tide tried to get her the ball one last time in the final seconds of the game. But Maryland’s defense knocked an inbound pass away from Barker and secured the 3-point win.
National reaction
While Maryland’s comeback may have sent the Terrapins into the Sweet 16, it was Barker’s performance that took a lot of the national spotlight after the game.
Barker’s 45 points are the fifth most ever by a player in a NCAA women’s tournament game. It’s also the highest scoring game by a single player for Alabama, men or women, in postseason play.
While she was already on some WNBA draft boards, Barker’s performance was enough to have some people believing she could go as high as a late first round selection in next month’s draft.
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