The Alabama Crimson Tide kicked off their season opener Tuesday night at home with a massive 96-74 win over Sam Houston. Look, they didn’t exactly hit the ground running, starting slow and giving us all a little pre-season anxiety, but once they got rolling, it was an absolute clinic. This team just *wears opponents down*, and the Bearkats found that out the hard way.
Shaking Off the Rust, Then Laying Down the Law
Seriously, Bama looked a little sleepy early on. They were only up 6-2 with 15:52 left in the first half, and then 6-5 just a minute later. And get this: they started 0-7 from three-point range! Coach Nate Oats wasn’t messing around, though, subbing guys in and out in pairs every couple of minutes, trying to find that spark. London Jemison finally broke the long-range drought with a three to make it 11-7 with under 14 minutes left. Then freshman Jaxon Richardson, a highly regarded talent, threw down a highlight-reel dunk on a breakaway for a 13-7 lead. Freshmen point guard Anderson Diaz even got his first action after bouncing back from a wrist injury.
Even with that, the Tide was only on pace for 56 points, holding a 14-10 lead with 10:08 on the clock. But then the momentum really shifted. Tarris Bouie followed an Amari Allen hoop with a fantastic windmill dunk, pushing the lead to 20-12 with 8:10 remaining. Drew Fielder and Bouie both drained shots from deep, and Jemison hit two more for a commanding 37-20 lead at the 3:45 mark. Sam Houston did manage to shrink the margin to 40-29 by halftime, but you could feel the Tide starting to assert themselves. Oats used eight players for at least 10 minutes in that first period. Bama shot 42% (16-38) from the field and 27% (4-15) from deep, making 4-6 free throws. They grabbed 24 rebounds, with eight on the offensive end, dished out eight assists, had seven blocks, seven steals, and committed seven turnovers. Jemison led the charge with 10 points on perfect 4-4 shooting, plus two rebounds and two steals. Bouie added seven points, four boards, a block, and a steal. Fielder put up six points and four rebounds, while Allen contributed five points, two rebounds, three assists, a block, and two steals. Sam Houston, for their part, shot 30% (9-30) from the field and 33% (5-15) from three, making 6-10 at the line. Jacobs Coleman led the Bearkats with 10 points and Pipkin added eight.
Second Half Surge: No Stopping the Tide
Whatever Oats said at halftime, it worked. Alabama rolled out the same starting lineup for the second half, and they wasted no time putting the game away. They scored in the paint right out of the break, and with 18:55 left, Jemison nailed another long-range jumper, extending the lead to 45-29. When the margin hit 18 at 49-31, Sam Houston had to call a timeout. It didn’t help. After the break, Qayden Samuels hit a long-distance shot, and just like that, the lead was 21 points. Bama’s length and aggressiveness on defense was just too much.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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