Alabama falls short on the road against Arizona
Get used to it. This won’t be the last time Alabama guard Collin Sexton and Arizona forward Deandre Ayton battle it out on the floor. Both players are projected to be top 10 picks in next season’s NBA draft.
Saturday night, they played like it.
Sexton finished with 30 points, but it was Ayton who had the final laugh as he recorded a double-double with 29 points and 18 rebounds as he led Arizona to an 88-82 victory over Alabama. Playing in its first true road test of the season, the Crimson Tide was unable to come away with a win at the McKale Center, as the Wildcats extended their home winning streak of non-conference opponents to 45 games. Arizona guard Allonzo Trier, another projected NBA pick, also put in a stellar performance with 25 points.
After Donta Hall made the game’s first basket, Alabama got off to a slow start, falling into an 11-point deficit midway through the first half. That’s when Sexton and the Crimson Tide came storming back. After picking up two early fouls, the freshman caught fire late, banking a fall-away 3 from the top of the arc to beat the buzzer and give Alabama a 40-38 lead at the half.
That momentum carried over to the second half as both teams exchanged blows back and forth. Ultimately Ayton helped Arizona pull away for good, hitting two late jumpers to give the Wildcats an 83-77 lead with 1:05 to play.
Alabama falls 7-3 with the loss, while Arizona improves to 7-3 on the season.
Here are some notes from Saturday night’s game:
Tide's top performers
Sexton carried Alabama throughout the second half, notching 21 of his 30 points after the break. His buzzer-beating 3 at before the half breathed life into the Crimson Tide and carried over into the second half. Sexton’s stellar performance came after a poor start as he began the game 0-for-3 from the floor and picked up his second foul with 13:42 left in the half.
Sexton did an excellent job of getting to the line and connected on 15 of 16 free-throw attempts. He finished the night 6 of 15 from the floor, including 3 of 6 from 3-point territory.
Hall finished with his third double-double of the season, scoring 15 points to go with 12 rebounds, a block and two steals. He nearly had a double-double at the half, heading into the break with 10 points and eight rebounds. The 6-foot-9 junior held his own against Arizona’s towering frontcourt, out-maneuvering his opposition on both sides of the court.
Hall finished the night 6 of 8 from the court. He entered the game ranked second in the nation in field goal percentage making 75 percent (45 of 60) of his shots.
John Petty finished with 13 points, hitting four 3s on the night. However, freshman guard was just 4 of 13 from beyond the arc. Dazon Ingram also put in a solid performance with 10 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
It was over when
With Alabama trailing 81-77, Petty missed a contested 3-point attempt from the top of the arc with 1:33 remaining. Ayton then drained a jumper on the other end to give the Wildcats and 83-77 lead with 1:05 remaining. Alabama would not be able to recover from that and ultimately picked up its third loss of the season.
Next up
Alabama takes part in its penultimate non-conference game when it plays Mercer (6-4) on Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. CT inside the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Ala. The game will be televised on SEC Network. Mercer is led by senior guard Ria’n Holland who is averaging 20.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. The Bears share a common opponent with Alabama, falling to Central Florida 88-79 in their season opener. The Crimson Tide also lost to the Knights, dropping a 65-62 game in Tuscaloosa, Ala., last weekend.
After Mercer, Alabama will wrap up its non-conference schedule with a game against Texas on Dec. 22 inside Legacy Arena at The BJCC in Birmingham, Ala. Alabama played Texas last season as the Longhorns beat the Crimson Tide 77-68 in Austin, Texas.
Alabama will open SEC play against No. 7 Texas A&M on Dec. 30 in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide finished 10-8 in conference play last season, including a 56-53 loss to the Aggies in College Station, Texas.