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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — More than 30 NBA scouts packed Coleman Coliseum on Monday night. The majority of them came to watch Murray State’s potential lottery pick, Ja Morant. However, it was a second-half surge from the hometown point guard that made the difference in the game.
Kira Lewis scored a team-high 20 points, including 17 in the second half to lead Alabama to a 78-72 victory. After going 0-for-4 from the floor in the first half, the 17-year-old freshman from Meridianville, Ala., took the game into his hands, shooting 6 of 9 after the break. Lewis ended the game by hitting all four of his free throws in the final 15 seconds to help the Crimson Tide put the game away.
“I think early on he probably didn’t understand the speed, just how fast he was, how big he was,” Alabama head coach Avery Johnson said. “He wasn’t playing against anybody like that on the AAU circuit last year or high school circuit. I think it just took him a little while to get going.”
Morant led the Racers with a game-high 38 points, nine rebounds and five assists. He made 10 of 13 shots in the second half, scoring 25 points after the break to lead a late charge for Murray State. Alabama fans gave Morant a standing ovation moments before the final whistle when he slammed home a put-back dunk. Heading into the game, the sophomore was averaging 24.3 points, 10.3 assists and 7.0 rebounds per game.
“Phew,” Alabama guard John Petty Jr. said. “ We saw him on film. Nine times out of 10 we see guys on film and they come in the building and they aren’t the same. He was the exact same we saw on the film. Tremendous player. He’s a great player. I can’t describe him.”
With Alabama leading 53-52 midway through the second half, Lewis hit a jumper before draining a wide-open 3 to ignite a 10-2 run for the Crimson Tide. Murray State battled back to cut the lead to 70-68 with 26 seconds remaining. However, Alabama made its final eight free throws to come away with the win.
For a second straight game, Alabama’s success at the line proved crucial. The Crimson Tide hit 23 of 30 of its free-throw attempts while limiting Murray state to just 12 trips to the line. The performance comes a game after Alabama hit 31 of 33 free throws to beat Wichita State in the final game of the Charleston Classic.
“Everyday in practice we take at least 30 minutes after practice, Coach makes us shoot like 100-something free throws,” Petty said. “So that’s always a big emphasis. Especially with the schedule we have and the games we play, we know it’s always going to come down to late-game free-throw shooting or executing.”
Leading 26-22 with 5:43 left in the first half, Alabama pulled ahead with a 9-0 run before cruising into the half with a 39-29 lead. The Crimson Tide held the Racers to 36 percent shooting in the first half, including just 2 of 10 from beyond the arc. However, Murray State came out hot after the break. The Racers began the second half on an 8-0 run before taking a 44-43 lead on a layup from Morant with 15:19 remaining.
Alabama survived a season-high 21 turnovers in the game which resulted in 31 points for Murray State. The Crimson Tide won the battle on the boards, outrebounding the Racers 40-32. Alabama’s bench also came up big, outscoring Murray State’s bench 29-11.
It was over when
Following two made free throws from Petty, Alabama led Murray State 72-68 with 24.9 remaining. On the ensuing possession, Morant lost the ball, allowing Lewis to scoop it up. The freshman then proceeded to hit both his free-throws to ice the game for the Crimson Tide.
Next up
Alabama (5-1) will travel to Orlando, Fla., to take on Central Florida (5-1) on Thursday at 6 p.m. on ESPNU. The game will be the second leg of a home-and-home as the Knights beat the Crimson Tide 65-62 in Tuscaloosa last season. Central Florida features two talented guards in B.J. Taylor (15.5 ppg) and Aubrey Dawkins (15.2 ppg) as well as 7-foot-6 center Tacko Fall (11.7 ppg, 7.8 rpg). Central Florida went 19-13 last season, finishing sixth in the American Athletic Conference.
Following the game against Central Florida, Alabama returns home to Coleman Coliseum to face Georgia State on Dec. 4.
