By Kyle Murphy, UA Media Relations
Junior Mykal Riley scored a career high 22 points to lead the No. 6 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide to a 75-61 victory over the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks Tuesday night in front of 12,268 fans at Coleman Coliseum.
Trailing 37-36 at the half, Alabama stormed back with big second half performances from Alonzo Gee, Jermareo Davidson and Richard Hendrix to get the win against the Warhawks, coached by former Tide assistant Orlando Early.
“Orlando Early is an awfully good coach,” said Alabama head coach Mark Gottfried. “He also knows our program and it’s dangerous to play a guy who has been on your staff for four years. You’ve got to give those guys a lot of credit.
“We stepped up. We had our best night at the foul line tonight. We go 19-for-24, which is something that we have not been good at. There are still positives. We’ve got a long way to go and we are not where we want to be right now, but there were a lot of positives throughout the game.”
After scoring only six points in the first half, Gee had 16 second half points and eight second half rebounds to give Bama the momentum it needed to seal the victory. Gee finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds, both season highs. He was 7-for-15 from the field.
Riley was 9-for-15 from the field, including going 4-for-9 from behind the three point line.
Senior Jermareo Davidson recorded his fifth double-double in five games this season, finishing with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Richard Hendrix recorded his second double-double of the season, finishing with 18 points, a season high for the sophomore from Athens, and 12 rebounds. Hendrix was 7-for-12 on the night and shot 4-for-5 from the free throw line.
This was Alabama’s second game without All-American point guard Ronald Steele, who is listed as day-to-day with tendonitis in his right knee. Steele is currently averaging 12.8 points per game in four games this season.
“Without having Ron it’s tough,” Hendrix said. “He brings so much to the table. He makes things so much easier for all of us on the court. Not just on offense, but defensively.”
Louisiana Monroe (3-4) was led by Tony Hooper, who had 19 points on the night. He was 7-for-21 from the field. Afam Nweke led the Warhawks with 10 rebounds.
Alabama (6-0) will be in action again at Coleman Coliseum this Saturday, December 2. The Crimson Tide will play host to the Tennessee State Tigers. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
