BamaCentral Courtside: No. 4 Alabama 91, Memphis 88
It could never pull away, but No. 4 Alabama held on to defeat the Memphis Tigers 91-88 at Coleman Coliseum on Tuesday night.
Brandon Miller and Mark Sears led the way for the Crimson Tide. Miller finished the game with 24 points and eight rebounds — including 21 in the second half alone. Sears had 18, with half of it coming at the charity stripe.
Noah Clowney and Jaden Bradley were also in double figures for the Crimson Tide, scoring 11 and 10, respectively.
As a team, Alabama was around average for the season for most of the game — and that’s not necessarily a good thing. The Crimson Tide came into the game shooting 69.8% from the line. On Tuesday, Alabama went 29-for-40 on its free throws. The Crimson Tide made the shots that mattered down the stretch, however, to hold on to its fourth straight contest.
The Tigers got a stellar performance from Kendric Davis, who finished with 30 points and five assists. The former TCU and SMU standout kept Memphis in the game, making shot after shot amidst the Crimson Tide’s second half runs.
The Tigers were only able to knock down a single 3-pointer, going 1-for-12 from beyond the arc. Despite shooting just 43% from the field as a team, Memphis was able to score its fair share of points. 19 Alabama turnovers turned into 13 points the other way.
The Crimson Tide is now 2-0 in its current stretch of games against Houston, Memphis and Gonzaga. Alabama will turn its attention to the Bulldogs next, who it plays on Saturday afternoon in Birmingham.
Tipoff between the Crimson Tide and Gonzaga for the CM Newton Classic is set for Saturday, Dec. 17 at noon CT on CBS.
Check out the video above as Joey Blackwell, Austin Hannon and Mason Smith break down No. 4 Alabama's win over Memphis on Tuesday night.
See also:
No. 4 Alabama Basketball Outlasts Memphis in Gritty 91-88 Win
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