Alabama
Texas A&M
Offensive Firepower Leads Alabama to 100-75 Win over Texas A&M
2/17/2024 3:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Crimson Tide remain in sole possession of the top spot in the SEC with 25-point victory
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The No. 15/15 Alabama men's basketball team secured another dominant home victory, defeating Texas A&M 100-75 Saturday afternoon inside Coleman Coliseum. The Crimson Tide led for all but 2:45 in the 25-point win as the team extended its home conference winning streak to 16 consecutive games.
The Crimson Tide (18-7, 10-2 SEC) drained 18 three-pointers in the contest on the way to securing the team's eighth 100-point game of the season, the most since in college basketball in nearly 30 dating back to the 1995-96 Kentucky national championship team.
Mark Sears led all scoring with 23 points in the victory, his 16th 20-point game of the season, to go along with four assists, four rebounds and three steals. Rylan Griffen (17), Latrell Wrightsell Jr. (16), Aaron Estrada (11) and Sam Walters (11) also scored in double figures, while Walters paced the Tide with eight boards.
The Aggies (15-10, 6-6 SEC) had four with double-figures, led by Tyrece Radford with 22 points and four rebounds.
Head Coach Nate Oats Postgame Comments
This was a big win. We have teams right on our tail in this SEC race, so we've got to protect the home floor. We didn't do a great job on the defensive glass, they rebounded 52 percent of their misses. I told the team first we have to try to turn them over. Second, we have to actually box out and rebound, and we weren't great on that. Third, I said after they get an offensive rebound, we still have to get a stop.
"They play three centers and sometimes just go all in on the offensive glass. So, when you get (Andersson) Garcia, who is one of the best rebounders in the country, have eight offensive rebounds but only scored three points, that is what we want. I thought we did a decent job after they got some offensive boards of making sure they didn't score off those. The were able to grab 25 o-boards and score 21 second chance points. While that is a lot, considering the way they score, we managed it well with 16 second chance points ourselves. We obviously shoot the ball a lot with four guards and they played three centers multiple times throughout the game. Realistically, it is two totally different styles. But fortunately, we shot the ball well and showed up offensively when it is important to pick up a win at this point."
TEAM STATS
- Alabama has won 15-straight SEC home games inside Coleman Coliseum, the longest winning streak since 1988
- This is the 16th game this season, and eighth straight that Sears has scored 20 points or more, the most since Colin Sexton achieved the feat in 2017-18
- In addition to collecting eight 100-point games, this year's Crimson Tide team has compiled 12 games of scoring 90-or-more points
- UA finished the game with 20 assists on 37 made baskets while the Aggies had just six dimes on 28 makes
- The Tide owned a 22-4 edge in fast break points
- Alabama shot 52 percent (37-71) from the field, 44 percent (18-41) from long range and 62 percent (8-13) from the charity stripe
- In comparison, Texas A&M shot 38 percent (28-74) from the floor, 17 percent (4-23) from deep and 65 percent (15-23) from the line
- Alabama led for 36:31 while A&M led for just 2:45
FIRST HALF
- Holding a 32-28 lead, Alabama finished the final 5:43 of the half on a 17-7 run that included an 11-0 spurt, to extend its lead to 14 points as the teams headed into the locker rooms
- Alabama knocked down eight first-half three pointers
- Sears led all scoring at the half with 16 points, with Giffen in tow with 11
- UA led 13-0 on the fast break points
SECOND HALF
- Alabama held on to all the momentum out of the locker room, extending its lead to as many as 27 points, before settling for a 25-point win
- The Tide converted on 10 second-half three pointers
- A&M closed the lead to single digits once in the second half before a 13-3 UA run put the game out of reach
- Latrell Wrightsell Jr. scored all 16 of his points in the second half
UP NEXT
- Alabama returns to action Wednesday night when it welcomes the Florida Gators to Coleman Coliseum
- The game is slated for a 6 p.m. CT tipoff and will air live on ESPN2
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