Junior guard Levi Randolph set a career-high on the Alabama men’s basketball team with 20 points, knocking down seven of 11 of his 3-point attempts.
“It was good to see the ball go in for him,” Alabama coach Anthony Grant said. “From a confidence standpoint, as a player, you always feel good when you can get a couple [of shots] to go down, and I think he got that going tonight.”
Alabama defeated the North Florida Ospreys 76-48 Wednesday night to advance to 4-3 on the season and remain undefeated in Coleman Coliseum.
The Crimson Tide opened the game on an 11-0 run and never looked back. The team shot 45 percent (26-58) from the floor and 47 percent (9-19) from behind the three-point line.
“We’ve just been talking in practice, and coach [Grant] has been preaching to us that when we have open shots we take them and don’t turn them down,” Randolph said. “My teammates were able to find me, and I just tried to do what Coach asked me to do and take open shots.”
Four players, including Randolph, scored double-digit points, with Nick Jacobs scoring 13 points and Trevor Releford posting 10.
Freshman center Jimmie Taylor pulled down nine rebounds and set a career-high with 12 points.
“It was great to be able to get him some extended minutes tonight,” Grant said. “He obviously had a big impact in the game. … Jimmie’s just trying to do the things myself and his teammates are telling him he needs to do to be able to impact the game.”
Releford did not lead the team in scoring, but he was able to compile five assists, three steals and only turned the ball over once.
“I thought he was outstanding,” Grant said. “He set the tone for us defensively. He got his hands on a lot of balls early in the first half, was able to come up with some extra possessions for us there.”
Junior guard Algie Key was featured in the starting lineup because sophomore guard Retin Obasohan was hampered by an ankle injury earlier this week in practice. Fittingly, it was Key’s 21st birthday. He scored 6 points, alongside four rebounds and four assists.
Junior forward Dakota Slaughter sustained a broken nose in practice and had surgery Nov. 25.
“He’s out right now,” Grant said. “Maybe Thursday or Friday he may be back, in terms of being able to get some practice time.”
Alabama will travel to Tampa, Fla., to face the South Florida Bulls Saturday. The game will tip at 8 p.m. CST and will be televised on ESPNU.
