Alabama basketball splits the home and home series with a stress free victory inside Coleman Coliseum with the return of the retro Crimson jerseys worn in the early 2000s.
Alabama basketball, despite a poor shooting effort by both teams, gets the victory over Creighton at home after being away from home for 33 days. The Tide cruised to an 83-75 victory with holding the lead for 37 minutes.
Mark Sears won the hard hat.
Chris Youngblood, originally from Tuscaloosa, made his season debut for the Tide knocking down a three-ball and a layup in 16 minutes of action and will continue to see the minutes go up as the season progresses.
“It was really special because he’s like a big brother to us young guys, and it was an amazing feeling to see him get his first bucket,” said Labaron Philon on Youngblood.
Takeaway #1: Sears and Philon takeover
Every time Creighton seemed to cut the lead to five to eight points, Mark Sears and Philon responded with a bucket of their own every time, with Sears going for 27 points with his best three-point shooting night of the season, shooting 4-7 from the outside and made his presence well known in the paint. Philon continues to be the engine of this team, especially on the defensive end, guarding the opposing team’s best guard every game and continues to shine with 16 points, five rebounds, and two assists. Sears was a +8 tonight, and Philon was a +14.
Takeaway #2: Alabama dominates on the glass
Alabama’s physicality and athleticism were too much for Creighton especially in the rebounding category, with the Tide with a +14 advantage on the glass with 17 offensive rebounds. However Alabama did not convert the second chance opportunities with tip-ins and putbacks, only wining that 14-8. The leading rebounder was Grant Nelson, who continues to be the team’s leading rebounder so far this season grabbing another 10 rebounds. Aiden Sherell, only playing 10 minutes, had seven rebounds, with five on the offensive glass. Creighton was not able to get up in transition because it had to send three to four guys to the basket to grab a rebound.
“I would’ve liked to see the second chance points be a bigger disparity, but we did a good job on the glass,” said head coach Nate Oats.
Takeaway #3: Both Teams poor three point shooting
Both teams struggled from behind the three-point line, combining to shoot 14-57 from behind the arc. Jackson McAndrew led the Bluejays shooting 5-8 from deep, with the Tide having no answers in giving McAndrews tough looks. Alabama shot 6-30 as a team, with Sears hitting four of them with Youngblood and Sherell knocking the other two down and will need to continue to create good looks that will eventually start to fall.
Next up for Alabama (8-2): at North Dakota (4-7) -Dec. 18 at 9 p.m. EST
Next up for Creighton (7-4): at Georgetown (8-2) -Dec. 18 at 6:30 p.m. EST