TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – No. 5 Alabama capped its nonconference schedule with a win Sunday afternoon, defeating South Dakota State 105-82. The win moved the Crimson Tide to 11-2 on the season, their best record as a non-conference head coach Nate Oats‘Term.

Alabama was shorthanded in this game with its freshman forward leading the way Derrion Reid missed the game with what was believed to be a minor ankle injury and a guard Houston Mallette be sick. The Crimson Tide played with the same starting lineup as in previous games Mark Sears, Labaron Philo, Jarin Stevenson, Grant Nelson And Cliff Omoruyi.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Alabama opened the game strong and quickly took a 10-2 lead at the first media timeout. Nelson made two 3-pointers early and had eight points in the first intermission, and the defensive intensity was strong early on, with SDSU’s only basket coming due to a mental lag in transition.

The offensive tempo of this game was lightning fast, with Alabama firing three after three and scoring much faster than it did earlier in the season. In the first eleven minutes of the first half, Alabama made seven three-pointers, three of which came from their own team Aden Holloway.

After South Dakota Stat cut the lead to just four points, Alabama went on an extremely quick 15-3 run over two and a half minutes and extended the lead to 14 points with nine minutes left in the half.

Mon Dioubate made his impact felt on defense by getting some steals that led to points and grabbing some offensive rebounds to go with it.

Alabama’s guard trio of Sears, Philon and Holloway had an outstanding performance in the first half, with all three scoring in double figures and doing it in different ways. They were the catalysts for the sharp ball movement throughout the half, ensuring the ball never got stuck and the offense kept rolling.

The Crimson Tide entered halftime with a 57-33 lead and posted their best offensive half of the season, knocking down 12 made three-pointers on 29 attempts.

South Dakota State opened the second half with a quick 7-0 run before two Sears free throws got the Crimson Tide on the board after halftime. The game continued at a high offensive tempo from both teams, and South Dakota State found much more success on offense, hitting high-tempo threes in the opening minutes.

The Jackrabbits outscored Alabama 19-12 early in the second half before the first media timeout and scored 50 percent of their goals in the six minutes of the second half.

Midway through the second half, the Crimson Tide’s defense stepped up again, slowly but surely building their lead back to 20 points while also knocking down their fifteenth 3-pointer of the game. Holloway became the first Alabama player to exceed the 20-point threshold, doing so before the U8 timeout.

At the end of the game, Alabama had three players score at least 20 points, the team exceeded the 100-point mark for the third time this season, and recorded single-digit turnovers.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH

Labaron Philon – 21 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists

Mark Sears – 20 points, 5 assists

Aden Holloway – 26 points, 8 made 3-pointers

WHAT’S NEXT

Alabama has now completed its non-conference schedule for the season and moves on to SEC play next. The Crimson Tide’s first league game is January 4 against No. 12 Oklahoma, with a start date set for 5:00 p.m. CT at Coleman Coliseum. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network.

Not a member, Alabama fans? Join BOL today!

Have you already subscribed to BamaOnLine.com? You can sign up for ONE MONTH of premium access to our Alabama coverage for just $11.99! Read all of BOL’s premium articles and nuggets on Alabama sports and recruiting and join thousands of other Crimson Tide fans around the world in the BOL Round Table forum! CLICK HERE!