Alabama
10-2,0-0SEC
Kent State
8-3,0-0MAC
No. 6/7 Alabama Heads into Christmas Break with an 81-54 Win over Kent State
12/22/2024 3:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Crimson Tide grabbed 60 rebounds and had a dominant defensive performance in the 27-point win
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The No. 6/7 Alabama men's basketball team closed its pre-Christmas slate with an 81-54 win over Kent State on Sunday afternoon inside Coleman Coliseum.
The Crimson Tide (10-2) had a dominant performance on the defensive end of the floor, limiting the Golden Flashes to 54 points on just 28 percent (21-75) shooting from the field and seven percent (2-27) from beyond the arc. Alabama also had a season-best seven blocked shots to go with eight steals in the victory.
Mark Sears led the offensive charge with 16 points while Aden Holloway added 13 points and three steals off the bench. Nelson, Derrion Reid and Labaron Philon each added nine points on the day.
The Golden Flashes (8-3) did not have a player finish in double figures and was led by Delrecco Gillespie's nine points and eight rebounds.
Head Coach Nate Oats Postgame Comments
"(Today) was a much better defensive effort so it will be a much better Christmas break for us. We made defense a big point of emphasis after that (game) in North Dakota. (Kent State) only shot 28 percent and they've traditionally been one of the hardest-playing teams in the Mid-American Conference. I thought our first-shot defense was good, but we needed to rebound a little better on the defensive end. We were able to get the offensive boards well – we ended up with 22 second-chance points and 20 offensive rebounds.
"We're going to figure some stuff out here before SEC play. There were way too many turnovers and missed free throws. The good thing for us is that we don't have school for a few weeks, so we'll spend a lot of time in the gym after they get back from Christmas break."
Team Stats
- Alabama led the contest from start to finish, holding the lead for over 35 minutes and taking its largest lead of 32 points with 3:39 left
- The Tide outrebounded the Flashes by 20, 62-42, and surpassed 60 rebounds in a game for the first time since Nov. 15, 2022 (62 at South Alabama)
- UA had 20 offensive rebounds to result in a 22-14 edge in second-chance points
- Grant Nelson (14 rebounds, six offensive) and Clifford Omoruyi (12 rebounds, four offensive) combined for 18 points, 26 rebounds and 10 offensive boards in the win
- After hitting just 2-17 (12 percent) from deep in the opening stanza, Alabama connected on 7-18 (39 percent) from beyond the arc over the final 20 minutes
- The Tide's defense held the Golden Flashes to just 24 points in the opening half, the fewest allowed by the Crimson Tide in any half this season
First Half
- Poor shooting led to a low-scoring five minutes, as the game remained scoreless after three minutes of action
- Aden Holloway scored the Tide's first field goal with 15:04 to play in the half, which sparked an 18-2 run over 5:56 to open a 20-4 lead
- Alabama's run was propelled by a defensive effort that forced Kent State to miss 19 of its first 21 field goal attempts
- Alabama held a 15-point lead, 39-24, after the opening 20 minutes of play
- Grant Nelson hauled in 12 rebounds in the half, the most in a half for an Alabama player this season
Second Half
- Alabama's offense was more efficient in the second stanza, connecting on 14-27 (52 percent) field goals, compared to 13-33 (39 percent) shooting in the first half
- The Tide went on a 13-2 run which lasted nearly seven minutes midway through the half to turn a 47-33 contest into a 60-35 advantage with just over eight minutes left to play
- Mark Sears (10), Aden Holloway (9) and Labaron Philon (7) combined to account for 26 of the Tide's 42 second half points
Up Next
- Alabama closes its non-conference slate against South Dakota State on Sunday, Dec. 29
- Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. CT and the contest will air on SEC Network+
