Alabama basketball starts slow, finishes strong to beat Louisiana Tech

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Collin Sexton pumped his fist in celebration after hitting his sixth straight free throw in the second half. It was a stark comparison to the angry mumbles he muttered to himself during a first-half slump that saw him start the game 0-for-5 from the floor.

The two free throws gave Alabama a 77-74 lead over Louisiana Tech with 1.6 seconds remaining. On the next play Bulldogs’ guard Jalen Harris’ desperation 3 richocheted off the rim to ice a victory for the Crimson Tide. Alabama suffered another slow start Wednesday, falling down by as many as 11 points early in the second half. However, a late surge helped the Crimson Tide net another nail-biting win in Coleman Coliseum.

Alabama now moves to 6-1 on the season, while Louisiana Tech drops to 5-1.

Here are some notes from Wednesday night’s game:

Sexton and Dazon Ingram led Alabama with 22 points apiece. Ingram came one rebound short of recording his first double-double of the season, finishing with nine. The sophomore guard slashed to the basket all night, getting to the free-throw line where he converted on 13 of 17 free throws.

Despite putting together a rocky shooting performance, Sexton finished strong, icing the game with several clutch free throws. The freshman shot just 6 of 19 (32 percent) from the court but converted on 9 of 11 free throws on the night. Sexton also pulled in five rebounds to go with three assists.

Donta Hall also came up big, tallying 15 points on 6 of 7 shooting to go with seven rebounds.

After Sexton hit his final two free throws to put Alabama up 77-74, Louisiana Tech heaved a desperation pass down the court. The ball actually bounced perfectly to Harris for an open 3 in the corner, but the sophomore was unable to convert as his shot hit off the front of the rim.

Leading 52-41 with 13:11 remaining, Louisiana Tech missed six straight field goals to allow Alabama to go on a 9-1, cutting the lead to 53-50 on a transition dunk from Sexton with 9:16 remaining. Sexton’s slam brought Coleman Coliseum to its feet and seemed to inject a new life into the Crimson Tide.

Minutes later, Sexton came up with a steal and dished it to Ingram, who was fouled in transition. Ingram hit both of his free throws to give Alabama a 60-59 lead with 5:38 remaining. The two teams would then go back and forth, setting up the dramatic finish.

Alabama will host Central Florida (4-2) at 1 p.m. CT on ESPNU. The Knights’ are led by senior forward A.J. Davis and junior guard B.J. Taylor. Davis is averaging a double-double with 10.3 points and 11 rebounds to go with 2.5 assists per game, while Taylor is UCF’s leader in scoring and assists with 12 points and four assists per game. UCF also offers the tallest player Alabama will face this season in 7-foot-6 center Tacko Fall. The junior is averaging 10.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.

Next week, Alabama will host Rhode Island at 7 p.m. on Wednesday before traveling to play Arizona on Saturday at 9 p.m. Arizona was previously ranked No. 2 in the nation but fell out of the rankings after suffering three straight losses to N.C. State, SMU and Purdue.

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