Playing on the road has been a struggle for Aggie basketball this year. Tonight in Tuscaloosa was no exception.
A late rally and 21 points from Jalen Jones were not enough, as A&M dropped their fourth straight SEC game in a 63-62 barnburner to Alabama.
The game started hot. A&M and Alabama were a combined 5-for-6 from beyond the arc in the first five minutes, but both would cool off a bit as the half progressed. Alabama would outscore A&M 20 to 10 in the final 13 minutes of the half, and the Crimson Tide took a 32-27 lead into the locker room.
For the second straight game, the Aggies struggled to take care of the basketball, committing 13 turnovers against just eight assists. A&M was also out-rebounded 36 to 29 down low with Alabama, pulling in 14 offensive rebounds compared to just eight by A&M.
The Aggies came out strong to start the second period of action, gaining a 38-37 lead fairly quickly. Alabama would surge back in front thanks to some sloppy turnovers by the Aggies, which led to some transition three-pointers by the Tide. Overall, Alabama finished with 12 steals.
Alongside Jones’ 21 points, Danuel House added 12 with eight rebounds. As a team, A&M shot 47 percent from three-point range, but were just 33 percent from that range in the second half.
Trailing 11 with six minutes left, the Aggies lit a fire under themselves. They began chipping away and eventually ripped a 6-0 run, capped by a clutch Anthony Collins three-pointer, to pull within one with 53 seconds to play.
A strong defensive stand gave A&M one last possession, and Collins was sent to the line for free throws with 2.3 seconds remaining. The senior that was shooting 93 percent from the line on the season missed both and the Coleman Coliseum crowd rejoiced.
Alabama looked stronger down low, both offensively and defensively, and they outscored A&M 26 to 18 in the paint. If not for missed second chance points by Alabama, the margin of victory would have been larger.
Retin Obasohan led the Crimson Tide with 16 points, while Riley Norris added 11 of his own. They received great contributions from their bench, which outscored the Aggie bench by a 21-to-10 margin.
The loss moves A&M out of a tie for second place in the SEC. A&M next hits the hardwood Saturday afternoon as they travel to Baton Rouge for a rematch with the LSU Tigers.
