Alabama
Alabama A&M
Men's Basketball Defeats Alabama A&M 64-56
12/2/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 2, 2008
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama men's basketball team (4-2) came up with a stingy defensive effort to overcome a difficult shooting night and beat Alabama A&M (0-3) 64-56 at Coleman Coliseum Tuesday night. With 1:23 left and the Crimson Tide leading by only two, sophomore Demetrius Jemison grabbed an offensive rebound and stuck it back in to give the Tide a 58-54 lead. Alabama made 6 of 8 free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.
"Obviously it wasn't pretty, but it's a win," head coach Mark Gottfried said. "We all agree in our locker room that we can play better than we did, but at the same time, we did some things at the right time to make sure we secured the win, and that is a positive thing."
The Tide won the game thanks to a strong defensive effort, holding the Bulldogs to 29 percent shooting for the game. The Tide held A&M guard and 2007-08 SWAC leading scorer Trant Simpson to just two points on 1-9 shooting. Freshman JaMychal Green protected the rim swatting five of Alabama's eight blocked shots.
Alabama struggled from the field shooting 33 percent for the game and 21 percent(3-14) from behind the arc. The Tide held a decisive advantage at the foul line knocking down 23 of 32 compared to 11 of 12 for Alabama A&M. The Tide won the battle on the boards as well out-rebounding the Bulldogs 51-39.
"Overall, it was one of those nights where we missed a number of layups," Gottfried said. "We had great opportunities around the rim that we couldn't seem to convert. We threw the ball away three or four times and were just mentally a step slow, but we fought through it. That's the bottom line. You fight through it, you win the game, you put it behind you and you learn from both the good and the bad."
Senior Alonzo Gee led the Tide in scoring with 13 points to go with seven rebounds. Sophomore Senario Hillman and senior Ronald Steele each chipped in 11 points, and both knocked down two clutch free throws in the final minute of the game. Green led the Tide on the glass with 10 rebounds.
The win was the Tide's third in a row, after winning its final two games in the Maui Invitational. This game also began an eight game home stand for Alabama, who won't go on the road again until visiting Clemson on Jan. 6.
"I think these next seven games are going to be very important to us," Gee said. "They're home games so we have to win. We just have to come out and play hard and get it done."
The Tide took a 32-27 lead into halftime after leading by as many as 16 before the break. Alabama held the Bulldogs without a field goal for more than six minutes in the middle of the frame and extended its lead to 32-16 behind eight consecutive points by sophomore Mikhail Torrance, capped off by a three point basket at the 4:50 mark.
From that point, A&M closed the half on an 11-0 run to cut the lead to five. Both teams made 12 field goals and three shots from behind the arc before intermission. Torrance scored all eight of his points in the first to lead the Tide.
Cornelius Hester paced A&M with 20 points that included four three-pointers while Casey Cantey added 13 points for the Bulldogs. Simpson dished out nine assists despite being held to only two points.
The Tide stays home for its next game against Louisiana-Lafayette on Sunday Dec. 7 with tip-off scheduled for 12 p.m. CT. The game will be the first of a double-header with the women's team who hosts Sam Houston State 30 minutes after the conclusion of the men's game.
