NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: SECOND ROUND - ALABAMA VS LOUISVILLE

March 23, 2026

Kristy Curry

Karly Weathers

Jessica Timmons

KFC YUM! Center

Alabama Crimson Tide

Media Conference

Louisville 69, Alabama 68

KRISTY CURRY: Just really proud of our team. Obviously there's a lot of emotion and a lot of tears, but I couldn't be prouder of everything that this group has done all year long. In a year where we weren't supposed to be in this position, they found a way to embrace hard with just grit, love and gratitude.

These two are really special. Jess for three years and Karly for four, two of the best leaders and people. Just what they've done for our program, hopefully they're going to understand one day that they did it the right way, and they sure left it a lot better than they found it. I'm really proud of them.

Q. Can you just talk about Ace's performance and what shh shows about her maturity as a player coming into this position as a freshman and just the excitement that it should produce moving forward in the program?

KARLY WEATHERS: Yeah, Ace is a really good player. She's one of those, she's like a game-time player. You put the ball in her hands she's going to make something happen. She did all the right things for us today. As a freshman to step into an environment like this and perform the way that she did is huge for us.

I can't wait to continue to see where her career takes her because she is truly a special player. Y'all see a lot of good things on the floor, but she's also an incredible teammate. The kid is just really special, and I can't wait to see what she does in the next three years.

JESSICA TIMMONS: Yeah, I feel like Ace is one of the most underrated and the best freshmen in college basketball. Her name is not talked about enough for me. She shows her maturity. She makes the right plays, makes the right reads. She shoots open shots, and she stepped up tremendously as a freshman. I think the University of Alabama, the fans, should have a lot of excitement behind this program and Ace Austin.

Q. For both of you, what has your time meant at Alabama, and if you have any favorite moments, as well?

JESSICA TIMMONS: I mean, Alabama, a lot of people don't know, but I transferred. Coach Kristy and her coaching staff took a risk on me. They didn't recruit over me. They believed in me. I ended up getting hurt my first year here, and Coach Kristy was very welcoming. She just never gives up on a kid. She never gives up on us. She's a true leader. She's a true mother figure to us. She's someone that's always going to leave a remarkable mark on my heart and the rest of this program. Coach Kristy made this program way better than it was when it started, and it just shows how exciting these girls are and what people and all the support staff do to make sure us women are heard and supported here at the University of Alabama.

KARLY WEATHERS: I'm going to try to get through it without crying. It's a really special place. Coach Kristy took a chance on me when I was in the eighth grade. She's believed in me for a really long time. To me, it was a no-doubter where I was going to go to school because Coach Kristy just made it feel like home. She creates a very family atmosphere. I guess it doesn't hurt that I grew up an Alabama football fan. So truly, this has been four the greatest years of my life.

I will always say that Alabama is the greatest university in the world. It's not only made me a better player, but it has for sure made me a better person. I will forever be indebted to the university, what it's brought me, the people that it's brought me. It's given me sisters for life. It's really given me friends for life. I will be forever thankful that the Lord placed me here, and he changed me the way that he did over four years.

Q. Karly, a game like this for you all to -- I think it was like 26 threes, I think you were 12 of 26 from deep and always seemed to have an answer for whenever Louisville went up by seven, that seemed to be the equalizer for you, but there was that one stretch where you all missed a few. Despite that, you lose by one. Did you feel like maybe if you had a few more seconds, you all could have had a better chance?

KARLY WEATHERS: I guess you could always look at it that way. But in the course of a basketball game, there's plays at the beginning of the game that affect the end of the game, and so absolutely, like we kind of pride ourselves, we're all in the gyms trying to get shots up, so we do pride ourselves on three-point makes and stuff like that, but we also pride ourselves on the defensive end of the floor and rebounding and facts like that.

I think that if we could have had a few more seconds, but that could be here or there, they might have won by more, or yeah, we might have won.

I think it's more what happened early in the game or what happened in the second quarter or what happened in the third quarter because truly, a basketball game is won in the first quarter by plays that happen then.

I guess you could say that, but also credit to Louisville. They just made plays down the stretch. They're a really good team.

Q. Y'all talk about culture not graduating, but specifically with this team, with y'all having been here so long, what sets this team apart that isn't replicable in the future and what isn't the same as years past?

KARLY WEATHERS: I would just say the belief that we had in one another. That started in June. I've said it all year long, we just have a team that we don't really care who gets the job done, just as long as it gets done, and I think that that's special because I think that that speaks to selflessly, and I think that's something that's hard to replicate on the team because when a team is playing more for the girl next to them than themselves, you're going to have a lot of good outcomes.

I just think that we had so many unique people and we had so many different personalities, but every single night it just felt like we came together and we tried to find a way. I'll never be able to replace that.

JESSICA TIMMONS: For me, I'd have to say it was the coaching staff. I've been here for three years, and I've seen the coaches try to connect with each other. When you have freshmen coming in, transfers coming in, it's hard to replicate the same thing each year, so our coaches were very intentional on our summer practices. Coach Kelly, that's my guy. We probably butted heads a little bit, but we trust in his game plan no matter what. He really made sure all of us were connected. Coach Kristy, Coach Tennille, Coach Chelsea, Coach Brooks, I think each of those coaches bring a tremendous job when it comes to not only scouting, just making sure we're connected, but then the group of girls we have, we spend so much time together. We hone in on grit, love, gratitude. If you guys came to our practices, we have a huddle at the end of each practice just making sure someone is heard, is felt, and making sure they're appreciated no matter if you played one minute or 40 minutes, and I think that's what basketball is about. We have sisters for life. We have coaches for life. We have people that's going to come back and watch our practices and be on the scout team. Just a tremendous job to the coaching staff for that.

Q. Karly, can you take us through that final shot for you, the three-pointer to get it back within one, and to end your career with a highlight shot like that, kind of how special was it?

KARLY WEATHERS: Yeah, I mean, it was special. Again, that goes back to Coach Kelly. He drew up a play call, and I just had to go out and find a way to execute it. But it doesn't happen if it's not a clean hand-off from Jess and it doesn't happen if Essence doesn't set me a good screen. I might have hit the shot, but there were so many factors that led up to that moment, and that just speaks to everything all year long.

Again, we just had girls that tried to get the job done, and the exact same thing happened in that moment.

Q. Just talk about the fan base and how much they mean to you guys and just the support you've seen in Coleman Coliseum, even in away games seeing Crimson Tide fans. How much did it mean to you guys?

JESSICA TIMMONS: It means the world to me. From where we started, and I've only been here for three years, it's been tremendous. Just seeing our fans come out and support us. I feel like women's basketball is going to be on the rise and will continue to be on the rise. So there needs to be people filling in the bleachers for us. Just like their fans here. I can feel it, and I believe a lot of our fans come out -- we have the crimson chaos, and they do a tremendous job supporting us on and off the floor, but that just starts with our marketing team, making sure they're posting stuff, and they do a really good job on that.

Our fans mean the world to us, and we want them to continue to support the University of Alabama.

KARLY WEATHERS: Yeah, I mean, they're incredible, and the energy that they constantly bring, it only makes us better. Like Jess said, in my four years, just to see the growth of the fan base that we have now has truly been incredible, but I would just encourage them to continue to show up and to continue to grow in numbers because women's basketball is not going anywhere.

Coach Kristy has just done such an incredible job and she has worked so hard to put out a good product. Again, I would just encourage them, keep showing up because y'all are needed and y'all are important. But truly, it's been so special.

Some of my best memories are when I get to go high five you guys after the games, and I will always be thankful for that, and I will always be thankful for the text messages, the pictures posted on Instagram and all that because you guys made my career so much fun because y'all make the environment what it is.

We're forever grateful for y'all.

Q. Coach, you talk a lot about always wanting to make more free throws than the other team shoots. Were you disappointed with the discrepancy today at all?

KRISTY CURRY: Yeah, disappointed. Pretty much 4 for 4. I think neither one of us shot a free throw in the first half. If we go 4 for 4 and they're 8 of 16, we fouled 13 times, they fouled five. Yeah, it impacted the game.

Q. Another question about your team's resilience. No lead, I think, was bigger than maybe seven points, and even then you all just kept coming back and still had one last chance, even with a desperation shot. What did you tell your team in those situations, especially when you were within a basket or two just about working for a shot such as the three that Karly hit that got you within one?

KRISTY CURRY: Yeah, I mean, I think the thing about it is we've been in these situations all year. In the SEC it prepares you for these moments. We've been down. We've been up. You stay patient and positive. We just weren't able to have another few seconds or we missed a couple of open threes. They were big and physical. We struggled with the physicality and maybe missed a couple shots.

But again, I think when you play in the leagues that we both play in, you both understand, you just have to continue to try to control the controllables and you can defend and rebound and try to be the aggressor offensively, but certainly credit Louisville. They were phenomenal today and made a couple more plays than we did that affected the final number by one.

Q. You touched on this in your opening statement, but what have the seniors meant to this program and to you personally?

KRISTY CURRY: They've made me a better person. You know, I think as a coach, you don't always remember the score but you remember the kind of people, and it's the person that makes the player special.

Jess, to see what she went through, how she did the unrequired, how she went to work every day. Jess is getting her masters, going to graduate in May with public relations. Karly is a 3.99 GPA in nursing, will graduate in four years. They're extraordinary. Their stories are both unique, and they've represented the front of their chest and their families with such great character.

Then you bring Wise in for a year and she's been a joy and just a phenomenal young lady. So much energy she brought every single day, and then you bring Ta'Mia who wanted to be in this moment and has really done an unbelievable job, and I think all four have a chance to play, continue to play.

They're all four going to have their degrees, and I'm just really proud of not only the basketball piece but who they are as student-athletes. They're the epitome of what you should be about. Their journeys are all different, and that's the joy of coaching. But seeing them become the people that they are and the graduates they're going to be and how they've represented the front of their chest is really special.

Q. Just looking over the season, ups and downs, fighting through adversity, fighting through injuries, you guys showed fight again tonight. I know it wasn't the result that you wanted, but how much does this group mean to you and something you can build on for next season?

KRISTY CURRY: Yeah, without a doubt. Yeah we lost three WNBA Draft picks and 60 percent of our scoring and 60 percent of our rebounding and 40 percent of our assists. Like I said, culture doesn't graduate. Just really proud of the locker room and how they went to work in June, and hated we couldn't find another possession today for them.

But we'll continue to get back to work and stay at it.

Thank you to the Louisville fan base and the Louisville administration and the city of Louisville. It's been absolutely amazing. Thank you for all of your hard work and helping put women's basketball on the stage that you did today.