Alabama
8-3
Mercer
6-6
Alabama Men’s Basketball Defeats Mercer, 80-79, In Second Annual Rocket City Classic
12/19/2017 11:58:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Four Alabama players reached double figures as freshman Alex Reese scored a career-high 10 points off the bench
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The Alabama men's basketball team held off Mercer, 80-79, Tuesday night at the Rocket City Classic in front of a sold out crowd at the Von Braun Center. The Crimson Tide (8-3) outscored Mercer (6-6), 49-44, in the second half after trailing, 35-31, at halftime to outlast the Bears for the win.
Four Alabama players reached double figures, as freshman Collin Sexton dropped 15 points in the second half to total 21 points and help fend off the Bears late in the game.
Along with Sexton, fellow freshmen Alex Reese and John Petty combined for 20 second half points to push Alabama ahead. Reese and Petty finished with 10 and 18 points, respectively. Sophomore Dazon Ingram was crucial down the stretch, adding 11 points and eight rebounds. Junior Donta Hall also had a solid night, ending with nine points, six rebounds and four blocks.
Alabama finished the night shooting 45.2 percent from the floor (28-of-62), outscoring the Bears in the paint, 38-28, while scoring 20 points off of 16 Mercer turnovers. The Crimson Tide won the battle of the boards, outrebounding the Bears 37-32.
After a sluggish first half in which Mercer held a four-point lead, the Tide responded out of the break by scoring nine of the first 11 points to begin the second half to take a 40-37 lead at the 16:44 mark.
Momentum shifted back toward the Bears, who went on an 11-5 run over the next 3:27 to take its largest lead of the half, 56-49, with 10:10 to play.
That's when Alabama would take control. A three by Reese sparked a Crimson Tide 16-4 run over the next 5:24 to take a 65-58 lead with just under six minutes left to take control of the contest.
With less than 45 seconds in regulation, Ingram converted three-straight free throws to give Alabama the 80-72 lead with 27 left on the shot clock, but the Bears rallied within one point, using a 7-0 run, but missed the buzzer-beater three and Alabama ended the night on top.
In the first half, Alabama edged Mercer 20-10 in points in the paint and 10-4 in points off turnovers, but the Bears' 6-of-14 shooting from beyond the arc and 14-11 edge in bench points gave Mercer the 35-31 lead at the break.
The Crimson Tide will square off against Texas on Friday night in Birmingham's Legacy Arena as part of the annual BBVA Compass Vulcan Classic. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on ESPN 2. Tickets are still available and can be purchased through Ticketmaster.com.
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