No. 2 Alabama routs Texas on the road behind blistering shooting performance

No. 2 Alabama went on the road for the second straight game and got another win, routing Texas in Austin by a final score of 103-80. The win moved the Crimson Tide to 21-3 on the season, and kept it tied atop the SEC standings with a 10-1 league record.

Alabama went with its usual starting lineup in this one, going with Mark Sears, Chris Youngblood, Jarin Stevenson, Grant Nelson and Cliff Omoruyi.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Like it has been all season, turnovers proved to be a problem for the Tide early. Alabama turned it over four times in the first four minutes of the game, but on a positive note, got a great start from Stevenson, who scored five points early. At the game’s first media timeout, the two teams were notched at seven points apiece.

Texas star Tre Johnson made his mark on this game early on, scoring 10 of the Longhorns’ first 13 points and proving exactly why he’s the conference’s leading scorer and a projected lottery pick in the NBA Draft. Still despite his hot start, Alabama held a 16-13 lead at the under-12 timeout thanks to some 3-point makes from Labaron Philon and Aden Holloway off the bench.

Alabama pushed out its lead quickly over the next few minutes, making four straight field goals as part of an 11-2 run to prompt a Texas timeout. The Tide’s lead was its biggest of the game to that point at eight points.

Alabama continued to build its lead as the half drew near to its end, but turnovers kept the lead from becoming insurmountable. Every time Alabama would push its lead, a turnover helped Texas out just enough to stay in it. The Crimson Tide defense, however, was excellent throughout the vast majority of the half.

After going on a thrilling 14-3 run to end the half, Alabama led the Longhorns 49-31 at the break. The Crimson Tide got major contributions from Philon, who scored 10 in the first half to start to break through the slump he’s been in. Alabama shot 7-of-12 from beyond the arc in the first half, and held Texas to 29 percent from the floor.

Alabama got a nice start to the second half from Stevenson, who continued having his best game of the season to date. He scored five more points in the first four minutes of the second half, including another 3-pointer, while the Tide led 58-41 at the half’s first media timeout.

Alabama kept its lead hovering right around the 20-point mark throughout the second half thanks to an absolutely absurd shooting performance. Everyone was knocking them down, most notably Philon and Stevenson having their best shooting games of the year.

The Crimson Tide kept lead at a comfortable distance for the remainder of the game, as Stevenson set a career high in scoring.

PLAYERS OF THE GAME

Jarin Stevenson — 22 points, 4 rebounds

Labaron Philon — 15 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists

Mark Sears –18 points, 3 assists

WHAT’S NEXT

Alabama will go back home this Saturday to host No. 1 Auburn in one of the biggest games of the college basketball season. The game will tip off at 3 p.m. CT on ESPN, and College GameDay will broadcast live from Coleman Coliseum at 9 a.m. CT.

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