Liberty University
1-1,0-0ASUN
Alabama
2-0,0-0SEC
No. 19 Alabama Pulls Away in Second Half for Home Victory Over Liberty, Friday Night
11/11/2022 11:15:19 PM | Men's Basketball
No. 19 Alabama led by nine at the break but distanced itself with a strong second half to prevail 95-59 over Liberty at Coleman Coliseum.
The Crimson Tide improve to 2-0 on the young season following Friday evening’s victory. Liberty (1-1) suffers its first setback of the year. Alabama outscored Liberty 55-28 in the second half.
Box Score Highlights
Liberty Individuals: Shiloh Robinson 11 points, 4 assists, 4-7 FG; Brody Peebles 10 points; Kyle Rode 9 points, 4 assists
Alabama Individuals: Mark Sears 22 points, 8-11 FG, 8 rebounds; Ryan Griffen 16 points, 5-9 FG;
Key Team Stats: Alabama shot 51.9 percent for the game (27-of-52) while knocking down 31-of-38 free throw attempts. Prior to tonight, the last time the Flames surrendered 38 or more free throw attempts was when they allowed 39 to Alabama om Dec. 18, 2018 (84-75 loss at the Rocket City Classic, Huntsville, Ala.). Alabama also connected on 10-of-22 three-point shots (45.5 percent).
Liberty was 18-of-55 from the floor, shooting 32.7 percent for the game. The Flames were 8-of-29 (27.6 percent) from three-point territory. The Crimson Tide outrebounded the Flames 45-23.
Thoughts From Head Coach Ritchie McKay
"We didn’t play the way I think we’re capable of, but Alabama had a lot to do with that. I just felt like we rushed a little bit offensively and defensively. We’ve been built on a defensive identity. I'll do a better job of coaching. They got 38 foul attempts. That's part of their game plan, but I have to do a better job of teaching our guys how to keep them out of the paint without fouling.”
Turning Point
Liberty led 14-13 in the early going at 14:11, but that was the last time the visitors led. Alabama went on an 11-0 run to take a 24-14 lead. The Flames kept it close in the opening frame and trailed 40-31 at the break after shooting just under 40 percent (11-of-28, 39.3 percent).
The Crimson Tide went on another 11-0 run early in the second half to take a 22-point lead, 64-42, with 10:35 remaining. Alabama shot 60 percent (15-of-25) from the floor and attempted 26 free throws (21-of-26, 80.8 percent) over the final 20 minutes.
Key Stats & Notes
• Six Flames scored six or more points, led by Shiloh Robinson’s 11 points. Robinson has reached double figures 18 times in his career.
• Playing in his home state of Alabama, sophomore guard Brody Peebles scored 10 points.
• Alabama held sizeable advantages in second-chance points (17-4), bench points (38-16) and points in the paint (34-18).
• Darius McGhee finished with eight points on 3-of-11 shooting, snapping his streak of 29 straight games in double figures. McGhee’s streak was the second-longest active streak in the nation entering the night.
• Liberty is now 5-12 all-time against the SEC. All five victories have come since March 2019, and the Flames are 5-4 versus the SEC during that span.
• Alabama improves to 2-0 in the all-time series with Liberty.
Up Next
Liberty will return to the court on Monday evening for a home game against NC Central. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Liberty Arena.
[gallery display="slider" wpmf_folder_id="2113,0" size="large" ids="442560,442557,442558,442561,442563,442564,442566,442568,442571,442572,442574,442577,442579,442582,442584,442587,442590,442593,442596,442599,442600,442601,442603,442604,442606,442608,442609,442612"]
