Alabama
No. 9 Alabama Comes up Short in 198.325-197.325 Loss to No. 2 LSU – University of Alabama Athletics
BATON ROUGE, La. – The No. 9 Alabama gymnastics program (9-3-1, 3-3-1 SEC) came up short against the No. 2 LSU Tigers (8-3; 5-2 SEC), 198.325-197.325, Friday night in Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Despite the loss, the Crimson Tide still posted a season-high score on the balance beam (49.500) behind multiple podium finishes highlighted by an event-winning 9.950 performance on beam.
After starting slow in its opening rotation, Alabama moved to vault where junior Corinne Bunagan made her season debut before super senior Luisa Blanco recorded her fifth 9.900-or-higher score of the season, claiming her first of three podium finishes of the night.
A week after scoring a 9.975 on the floor exercise, sophomore Gabby Gladieux posted a 9.950, marking two consecutive scores of 9.950-or-higher on one event for the first time in her young career. Alabama closed the night by recording the highest balance beam score of the night in Baton Rouge, as super senior Burgess calmly performed to a career-high-tying 9.950 to propel the Tide to a season-high rotation score of 49.500.
Alabama claimed six podium finishes on the night as Burgess claimed the only event title. Blanco found the podium three times (vault – 2nd | 9.900; balance beam – 2nd | 9.925; all-around – 2nd | 39.550), while Gladieux reached the podium twice (floor exercise – 3rd | 9.950; all-around – 3rd | 39.450).
Head Coach Ashley Johnston Said
“The environment tonight [at LSU] was really exhilarating. I felt like our team came in ready to start strong, but got a little fazed right there at the start on [the uneven] bars. And at that point, we went into ‘fight mode’ to try and command every opportunity we had. I felt like as the meet progressed, they did a good job of fighting and battling back entering that last event. I’m proud of how we responded on beam – that was a clutch moment that they could have decided to either, truly, go after it or be distracted. But, they went after it and fought all the way through to the finish line, which was an important step for this team. We have to keep building, though. We have to get back in the gym and, as a staff, challenge them to compete hard in tough moments. I know this team is committed to continuing to get better, finding ways to overcome the challenges they’re experiencing. I truly believe this team is capable of competing with anybody in the country; we just have to get back after it.”
Inside the Score Sheet
- Three Alabama gymnasts claimed three podium finishes inside Pete Maravich Assembly Center
- Luisa Blanco – vault (2nd | 9.900); balance beam (2nd | 9.925); all-around (2nd | 39.550)
- Ella Burgess – balance beam (2nd | 9.950)
- Gabby Gladieux – floor exercise (3rd | 9.950); all-around (3rd – 39.550)
- UA posted a season-high event score of 49.500 on the balance beam, as half of the Tide’s lineup posted a 9.900-or-higher score
- Blanco recorded her fifth 9.900-or-higher vault score of the season
- For the first time in her career, Gladieux posted 9.950-or-higher scores in back-to-back weeks on the same event
- Corinne Bunagan made her season debut on vault (9.775)
Up Next
- Alabama returns to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for its final home meet of the 2024 season next Friday night, with first vault at 7 p.m. CT
- The quad meet will feature No. 16 Minnesota, No. 23 Illinois and Talladega College
- The night has been dubbed as Eras Night as the Crimson Tide welcomes home its alumni and honors its seven senior gymnasts as part of Senior Night festivities
For all the latest information on Alabama gymnastics, follow BamaGymnastics on X, Instagram and Facebook.
The Auburn Tigers are firmly on the bubble heading into the final game of the regular season, and the urgency couldn’t be higher for Steven Pearl and company.
Auburn travels to Tuscaloosa for a rematch with the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday, currently standing at 16-14 overall and 7-10 in the SEC. Alabama knocked off the Tigers on their home floor at Neville Arena just over three weeks ago, meaning Auburn should be seeking revenge this weekend inside Coleman Coliseum.
The Tigers have dropped seven of their last nine games, most recently falling to Ole Miss 85-79 last Saturday and defeating LSU by 14 points on Tuesday’s senior night. Auburn played like two extremely different teams in these two matchups, and it certainly needs to carry the momentum it garnered from the midweek win into Saturday.
The newly updated NCAA Tournament projections feature Auburn on the outside looking in, according to multiple outlets. The Tigers are listed as ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi’s second team out of the field, which is disappointing after sitting as a solid No. 7-seed just a few weeks ago.
In CBS Sports’ latest bracketology, Auburn is projected to land as the First Team Out, alongside New Mexico, Seton Hall, and Indiana. However, the Tigers actually boast a higher NET ranking than all seven of the other squads featured in CBS Sports’ Last Four In and Last Four Out.
Prior to its clash with Ole Miss last Saturday, the general consensus was that if Auburn took care of business on its home floor against the Rebels and LSU, the Tigers would put themselves in a good position to crack the tournament, assuming they lost to Alabama in the season finale.
However, obviously, Auburn was unable to get both tasks done, as Pearl’s squad, frankly, seemed uninspired in what was a near must-win game for the Tigers versus Ole Miss. Auburn looked slightly more motivated in its victory over LSU on Tuesday, but could it be too late?
Now, with Auburn sitting just two games over .500 overall and playing some of its worst basketball as of late, it feels as if its season is absolutely on the line in Tuscaloosa on Saturday.
ESPN’s most recent betting odds lean toward Auburn missing the tournament, but a win over the Crimson Tide could, and would, certainly shift that line.
If the Tigers are able to emerge from Coleman Coliseum victorious, which would be a top-20 Quad-1 win on the road, they will most likely hear their name called on Selection Sunday.
But on the flip side, if Auburn falls to its arch rival to close the regular season, it would likely need to win three games or more in the SEC Tournament next week to feel somewhat hopeful about its postseason fate.
Nonetheless, as mentioned previously, there’s no excuse why urgency shouldn’t be at an all-time high on Saturday. With their NCAA Tournament hopes virtually on the line and a chance for revenge on their most-hated rival, the Tigers should come out desperate and hungry from the tip.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — — Terrance Dixon Jr.’s 19 points helped Southern defeat Alabama A&M 88-85 on Thursday.
Dixon shot 7 of 10 from the field and 5 of 6 from the free-throw line for the Jaguars (15-16, 11-7 Southwestern Athletic Conference). Michael Jacobs scored 15 points while going 4 of 11 and 7 of 9 from the free-throw line, and added five rebounds. AJ Barnes shot 3 for 7 (1 for 3 from 3-point range) and 7 of 8 from the free-throw line to finish with 14 points, while adding six rebounds.
Koron Davis finished with 23 points for the Bulldogs (17-14, 10-8). James Graham added 19 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two steals for Alabama A&M. Kintavious Dozier also had 12 points.
The Jaguars led by 10 points with 59 seconds to go, before the Bulldogs executed a three-point play from Bilal Abdur-Rahim then got a 3-pointer from Dozier in the span of nine seconds, cutting the deficit to four. A free throw battle closed out the result for the Jaguars.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Jaxon Richardson, the No. 27 overall recruit in the 2026 class per the Rivals Industry Ranking, has committed to Alabama.
The 6-foot-6 four-star small forward out of Southeastern Prep (FL) ultimately chose the Crimson Tide over USC, Creighton, and Ole Miss. He also received offers from Miami, Cincinnati, Michigan, Florida, Villanova, and others.
Richardson, a McDonald’s All-American, becomes the Crimson Tide’s third commitment of the 2026 cycle. He joins four-star shooting guard Qayden Samuels (No. 28 NATL) and four-star small forward Tarris Bouie (No. 54 NATL).
He’s the son of NBA veteran and two-time NBA Dunk Contest champion Jason Richardson. His older brother, Jase, played for Michigan State last season before being selected 25th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic.
More on Richardson
Rivals’ National Recruiting Analyst Jamie Shaw says Richardson is one of the most explosive players in the 2026 class:
Jaxon Richardson is able to combine fluid athleticism with explosive burst in a way no other player in this class can. He uses his athleticism to his advantage on the floor. He fills the outside channels with a purpose in transition, he is aggressive in the passing lanes, and he plays as a vertical floor spacer in the dunker spots and lob plays. Last summer, playing with the Florida Rebels on Nike’s EYBL Circuit, the 6-foot-6 wing averaged 12.8 points on 54.0 percent shooting and 10.5 attempts per game. Last high school season, he averaged 12.9 points on 61.0 percent shooting on 8.9 attempts per game. He is a highly efficient player, as 84.4 percent of his makes last high school season were at the rim.
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