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With 9:50 left in the first half, Alabama’s Avery Johnson Jr. drove through the lane for what should have been an easy lay in. But he put just a little too much power on the ball, and it went high off the backboard. At the same time, teammate Donta Hill came flying through the lane – and easily grabbed the rebound for a big put-back dunk.
This kind of dominance by the Crimson Tide was prevalent throughout their entire contest against opponent Ole Miss Tuesday night.
Alabama handed No. 20 Ole Miss their first SEC road loss of the season, winning 74-53. Now, Alabama has claimed its sixth straight win at home. They also jumped to 3-3 in SEC conference play. The Tide was led by John Petty, who came off the bench and contributed 15 points. The sophomore now averages just over 12 points on the season.
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Big Takeaways: Defense and Rebounding
Alabama (12-6, 3-3 SEC) built its lead early on in the game. Their defense was a key component in the early dominance and eventual victory, as they scored 15 points off nine Mississippi turnovers.
The Tide also dominated the Rebels on the boards, grabbing down seven more in the first 20 minutes of play. They walked into halftime up 14 over Ole Miss, and just built upon that in the second half.
Ole Miss ended with 10 offensive rebounds to Alabama’s 20, allowing the Crimson Tide to have the second chances needed to extend their lead.
All season, the Rebels have been led by upperclassmen Breein Tyree and Terrence Davis. Together, the junior and senior averaged nearly 33 points a game. In Tuesday’s loss, the two combined for just 19 points – a nod to Alabama’s defense.
Now, Ole Miss is 14-4 on the season, and 4-2 in SEC play. They’ll look to bounce back from the loss Saturday, when they’re back in Oxford to take on Iowa State.
Meanwhile, Alabama will be traveling to Waco, Texas, to take on Baylor.
