Alabama basketball gets much-needed win
Cecil Hurt
TideSports.com Columnist
The Alabama men's basketball team didn't outrun Missouri, or outgun it at Coleman Coliseum on Wednesday night, but at least managed to outlast the Tigers in the end.
Alabama snapped a two-game SEC losing streak, downing struggling Missouri 62-49 in a game played at what could generously be called a methodical pace. It was so methodical that Alabama won despite scoring its final field goal with exactly eight minutes to play, coasting home on the strength of 14 free throws after that.
Missouri had a brief second-half lead after Namon Wright opened the scoring in the half with a 3-pointer that gave the Tigers a 27-26 lead 25 seconds in . But UA went on a 12-3 run from that point and maintained control for the rest of the half.
"I thought our defense was really good tonight and it was a great team effort," said Crimson Tide head coach.
Senior Levi Randolph scored 15 of his game-high 20 points in the second half. Retin Obasohan, starting for the second straight game in place of the injured Ricky Tarrant, added 12 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
"Coach (Grant) continues to prepare us for opportunities, so I was ready to come in," Obasohan said. "I'm feeling better and in better shape after the surgery in the off-season so that helps."
"There were really a lot of guys who played well tonight," Grant said. "Retin had a lot of energy. Sometimes steals don't represent good defense, but he had three tonight that came from great effort."
Both teams played the first half at a deliberate pace, including one stretch midway through in the half in which neither team scored a field goal for over six minutes. The Crimson Tide fell behind 7-2 early, came back to,lead by as many as five points, then went to the locker room with a 26-24 halftime lead as Missouri's Jakeenan Grant scored on a dunk just before the buzzer.
Keanau Post led Missouri (7-15, 1-8 SEC) with 11 points. The Tigers shot just 32 percent on the game. It was the eight straight loss for the Tigers, the longest losing streak for Missouri basketball since 1974.
Alabama (14-8, 4-5 SEC) will return to action Saturday at LSU.
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