Alabama
7-2,0-0SEC
UTSA
4-5,0-0American
No. 12/12 Alabama Routs UTSA 97-55 in Sunday Matinee for Fourth Straight Victory
12/7/2025 4:06:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Tide's 42-point win was its largest margin of victory this season
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -Â The No. 12/12 Alabama men's basketball team cruised to a 97-55 victory over the UTSA Roadrunners Sunday afternoon inside Coleman Coliseum. The Tide's defensive performance marked the least points scored by an opponent this season.
Alabama (7-2) had three 20-point scorers for the first time this season, including Jalil Bethea (21), along with London Jemison and Labaron Philon Jr. who contributed 20 apiece. The Tide had two more in double figures as well, including Amari Allen (11) and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. (10).
On the defensive side of the ball, the Tide forced a season-high 18 turnovers, swiping away 15 steals in the process, along with holding UTSA to just 20-for-61 (33 percent) shooting from the field and 8-for-33 (24 percent) from beyond the arc.
UTSA (4-5) was led offensively by Jamir Simpson's 20 points off 7-for-17 shooting, including 2-for-8 shooting from three, to go along with seven rebounds.
Head Coach Nate Oats Postgame Comments
"We've been emphasizing the possession game, trying to force more turnovers than we have. We're trying to get more offensive rebounds than we've been giving up because we haven't been very good, so that's been a point of emphasis for us this year. We were able to force 18 turnovers and we only had five, so plus 13 there. We were able to get 19 offensive rebounds and [Aiden] Sherrell had six of them. He's been playing great for three games in a row; he's gotten three blocks for three games in a row. We didn't shoot the ball particularly well in the second half and I didn't think we moved the ball quite as well in the first half."
"Latrell Wrightsell Jr. and Houston Mallette had some open looks, but didn't shoot it very well. Those two guys will be ready to shoot by Arizona, I can assure you that. To shoot it as poorly as we did, only 28 percent from three and 39 percent from the field, and still able to score 97 because we did a lot of other things well. We made free throws at a high level, took care of the ball and didn't turn it over. A lot of things we're emphasizing to be able to win games when you don't shoot well, we did well. Proud of the guys for that and we're just building from here."
Team Stats
- Alabama only surrendered five turnovers, marking the second fewest turnovers the Tide has given up during Oats' tenure
- Jalil Bethea had a breakout game in his second matchup wearing crimson and white as he tied a career-high 21 points and marked new career-bests in rebounds (6) and three-pointers made (5)
- Amari Allen shined as well for Oats' squad, totaling 11 points and 10 rebounds, achieving his second double-double in a row
- Aiden Sherrell swatted away three blocks for the fourth time in the last five games this season
- Oats' squad dominated the rebounding battle 57-41 over UTSA, with 19 boards coming off the offensive glass
- Out of 11 Alabama players who recorded minutes in the game, nine of them scored and 10 of them recorded at least two rebounds
- Overall, the Tide struggled to shoot the ball despite the win, shooting 32-for-82 (39 percent) from the field and 16-for-57 (28 percent) from three-point range
- Alabama's bench scored a season-high 52 points
First Half
- Alabama started the contest in full control, opening the game on a 15-4 run through the first 6:15, with nine of those points coming from beyond the arc
- The Crimson Tide forced the Roadrunners to make just four of their first 14 shots from the floor, holding them to just 10 points with 7:06 left in the half
- Nate Oats' squad held a double-digit advantage from 14:30 through the remainder of the half, with its biggest lead of 39 points coming at the end of the frame to enter the break ahead 56-17
- UTSA's 17 points at halftime marks the least points that Alabama has allowed in a half all season
- Jalil Bethea led the Tide in scoring with 16 points off 5-for-9 shooting, including 4-for-7 from deep in just his second game this season
- UA tied its second most points in a half this season despite shooting 18-for-43 (42 percent) from the field and 11-for-31 (36 percent) from three in the first half
- The Crimson Tide defense held UTSA to shooting just 6-for-26 (23 percent) from the field and 2-for-14 (14 percent) from deep, along with forcing 11 turnovers in the frame
- Alabama controlled the rebound battle 29-18 over the Roadrunners, with 11 boards coming on the offensive glass
Second Half
- Alabama struggled to get started in the second half as UTSA opened the frame on a 15-8 run through the first 5:28 as the Tide missed its first nine three-point attempts
- Eventually, the Tide got clicking on offense again, going on an 18-9 run from 14:39-6:24 (8:15) to claim an 82-41 lead
- UA achieved its biggest lead of the game, 44 points, with just 1:18 left in the game after a three-pointer by Davion Hannah
- London Jemison was Alabama's leading scorer off the bench in the second half, contributing 14 points off 5-for-9 shooting from the field
- In total, the Tide's bench unit tallied 27 points compared to just five from the Roadrunners
- Once again, UA controlled the boards in the period, snagging 28 rebounds compared to UTSA's 23
- Alabama's shooting struggles continued in the second half as well, as the Tide converted just 14-for-39 (36 percent) from the field and 5-for-26 from three (19 percent)
Up Next
- Alabama travels to Birmingham, Ala. to take on the Arizona Wildcats for the C.M. Newton Classic
- Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. CT inside Legacy Arena on Dec. 13 and can be seen on ESPN
