Alabama basketball overcomes adversity to beat Arkansas State

Nov 8, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Arkansas State Red Wolves guard Terrance Ford Jr. (11) drives against Alabama Crimson Tide guard Mark Sears (1) during the first half at Coleman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Will McLelland-Imagn Images

The No. 2 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide overcame a first-half foul fest and a cold shooting night in a 88-79 win over the Arkansas State Red Wolves in nonconference play Friday night at Coleman Coliseum.

At halftime, Alabama (2-0) had let a 16-point first-half lead dwindle to just three at 43-40. A total of 31 fouls were charged to the two teams by referee Pat Adams and crew before the buzzer sounded at intermission.

In the second half, Arkansas State (1-1) tied the game at 68-all with seven minutes to play. But Alabama managed to pull away thanks to an 11-2 run that was capped by freshman Derrion Reed’s dunk with 2:54 left. That extended the Crimson Tide lead to nine at 81-72.

Mark Sears led Alabama (2-0) with 19 points. Sears went 0-for-5 from 3-point range and was 4-of-12 from the field. As a team, Alabama shot just 40.9 percent vs. the 63 percent it hit from in the season opener against UNC Asheville on Monday. They were 6-of-31 from behind the arc.

Moreover, the Tide struggled from the charity stripe, making only 63.6 percent of its free throws (28-of-44).

Senior forward Grant Nelson, freshman Labaron Philon, and Rutgers transfer Clifford Omoruyi all had 12 points behind Sears. Nelson added six rebounds in 12 minutes of action as he eases his way back into playing time from a minutes restriction stemming from an abdominal injury.

Alabama returns to action on Monday when the McNeese State Cowboys, led by former LSU Tigers coach Will Wade, visits Coleman Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on SEC Network.

This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Alabama basketball overcomes adversity to beat Arkansas State

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/alabama-basketball-overcomes-adversity-beat-040738875.html

Author : Roll Tide Wire

Publish date : 2024-11-09 04:07:00

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