Alabama basketball went on a nine minute scoring drought in the second half, but got enough buckets late to hold onto win inside Coleman Coliseum.
Alabama basketball allowed McNeese State to hang around after going on a scoring drought in the second half, to make the game close late in the game with the Tide held on to win 72-64 to finish up its three-game home stand.
The hard hat for the game went to Grant Nelson..
“That is a tremendous SEC team and probably the best team the SEC has had in quite sometime,” Â McNeese State head coach Will Wade said.
Takeaway #1: Grant Nelson takeover in first half
Alabama was trailing for eight minutes in the first half, and the team had turned to Grant Nelson to get going and he did just that. Nelson missed the first two threes of the game, then started to get downhill to the basket which was unstoppable. This led to open looks for three from Nelson, which he was able to make.
Nelson shot 5-8 from the field in the first half, 4-4 from the charity stripe, putting up 16 points, two rebounds and one assist.
“This is a game where if he doesn’t play as well as he did tonight we probably don’t win that game,” head coach Nate Oats said.
Takeaway #2: Offensive second half struggles
In the first six minutes right out of the half, Alabama was in full control, making shots getting stops, but when the team got up by 21, the struggles and effort levels started to creep in. The team went on a nine-minute stretch where the team did not make a shot from the field, and if the team wasn’t drawing fouls and getting to the line, the outcome could have been a lot different.
Despite the struggles the bright spot of the second half was Latrell Wrightsell, who got going from three after slumping heading into the game, scoring 12 points and hitting 4-7 from downtown.
Takeaway #3: Turnovers
Alabama had its most turnovers  this season, with 15, most of which were just trying to make the extra pass and be unselfish. Alabama had 68 possessions tonight, which was not its usual number, around 80 a game, so possessions will be at a premium. With a tough stretch on the horizon Alabama will need to take care of the ball.
“Our turnovers are a major problem that is an issue,” said Oats.
Next up for Alabama (3-0): vs. Purdue (3-0) – Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. EST
Next up for McNeese State (1-2): vs. North Texas (3-0) – Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. EST