No. 5 Alabama men’s basketball won Sunday in its final tuneup before SEC play, beating South Dakota State 105-82.
The Alabama rotation was shortened for this game, as forward Derrion Reid was out with an ankle injury and guard Houston Mallette was dealing with an illness.
The Crimson Tide started the game with a 10-2 run in large part due to forward Grant Nelson, who scored the team’s first 8 points on two 3-pointers and a layup.
After South Dakota State cut the Alabama lead to just 16-14, the Crimson Tide took control of the game, going on a 24-3 run in only 4:15 of game time. Guards Aden Holloway and Labaron Philon headlined the run, as Holloway knocked down three shots from downtown and Philon had two layups and finished off an and-1.
Philon and Nelson continued to stay in rhythm. Nelson stayed perfect from the field in the first half by making a jumper and a dunk, and Philon went on a personal 5-0 run in which he made a 3-pointer then immediately got a steal and a layup to put Alabama up 51-27.
Guard Mark Sears joined in on the action and got hot near the end of the first half, knocking down two 3-pointers in a row to give the Crimson Tide a 57-33 lead at halftime. The team shot 12/29 from 3-point range in the half.
Most of the Crimson Tide offense came to a halt early on in the second half, but Philon continued to stay hot and scored two more jumpers. The South Dakota State offense picked up its pace, making eight of its first 11 shots in the half to narrow the Alabama lead to 70-56.
Alabama’s offense then resumed, immediately going on an 11-2 run as forwards Mo Dioubate and Aidan Sherrell each chipped in 4 points. Dioubate’s effort was on display during the run, snatching four offensive rebounds and a steal.
“The second half, we needed some energy and effort, and Mo gave it to us,” head coach Nate Oats said.
The Crimson Tide stayed in control throughout the rest of the game in large part due to Holloway and Sears, who each netted a pair of 3s to claim a 94-67 lead.
Alabama got over the 100-point mark after Holloway knocked down two more 3-pointers. With a minute left and the Crimson Tide boasting an insurmountable lead, walk-on forward Max Scharnowski came off the bench for the second game in a row.
Holloway led the way for Alabama with a career-best 26 points and making eight of his notably-high 19 3-point attempts.
“It’s kind of crazy because he gets mad when I don’t shoot,” Holloway said of Oats. “He makes sure to give me confidence in shooting the ball.”
Philon had an all-around productive game, scoring 21 points while dishing out a team-high six assists and adding five rebounds, and Sears chipped in 20 points and five assists of his own. Nelson finished with 17 points on an efficient 7/8 shooting and eight rebounds.
The Crimson Tide made 19 of its season-high 55 3-point attempts, 17 more attempts than the previous high of 38 against Oregon. The team also protected the ball well, having a season-low six turnovers.
“When you cut the turnovers down, the game is more fun,” Philon said. “You don’t have to sprint back on defense and you don’t have Coach Oats yelling at you.”
Alabama’s first SEC game will be on Saturday at home against No. 12 Oklahoma at 5 p.m. CT. The game can be streamed on SEC Network.
