No. 1 Arizona Uses Second Half Surge To Cruise to 96-75 Win Over No. 12 Alabama
After a first half that saw plenty of scoring and highlight reel plays, the newly crowned No. 1 Arizona Wildcats flexed its muscles in the second half to dominate the No. 12 Alabama Crimson Tide in Birmingham.
Wildcat Freshman Brayden Burries Puts on Offensive Clinic In Win
When both star Guard Jaden Bradley and freshman phenom Koa Peat exited a few minutes into the second half due to foul trouble, the Wildcats looked to be in trouble. Thankfully for Arizona, their other freshman star, Brayden Burries, caught fire from the floor. The five-star recruit dropped a career-high 28 points as the Wildcats poured in 57 points in their second-half domination over the Crimson Tide.
Despite foul trouble, Jaden Bradley still put up an impressive stat line in the Wildcats’ win. The former Crimson Tide player dropped 14 points to go along with 5 rebounds and 7 assists as he controlled the pace for the Wildcats’ offense throughout the game. Meanwhile, Wildcats star freshman Koa Peat had the worst game of his collegiate career so far, finishing with only 5 points.
Arizona Dominates the Paint and Backboard
In a clash between the fast-paced and three-point friendly offense of Alabama and the methodical and physical offense of Arizona, the Wildcats’ brute force won out once again. Wildcat Center Mo Krivas and Forward Tobe Awaka made their presence felt on the glass, finishing with 14 rebounds and 15 rebounds, respectively.
As a team, the Wildcats outrebounded the Crimson Tide 48-30, with an even wider margin in the offensive rebounding category, with a 20-3 margin. While the Crimson Tide tried their best to close off the paint, the Wildcats were still able to muscle their way in to finish with 34 points in the paint on the night.
Crimson Tide Second Half Struggles Continue In Loss
It was the same story for the Nate Oats-coached Crimson Tide Saturday night, as Alabama’s high-octane offense couldn’t regain its rhythm in the second half. After ending the first half with a nearly 10-point run, the Crimson Tide offense only managed to score 6 points in the first 5 minutes of the second half.
Alabama Guard Labaron Philon had himself a game in the loss for the Crimson Tide. The Alabama native finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds, as Philon was one of only two Crimson Tide players to finish with double-digit points on the night.
What’s Next For Both Teams
It’ll be a short rest for both Arizona and Alabama as both teams will be back in action early next week. The Wildcats will face off against ACU in Tucson on Tuesday as they look to move to 10-0 on the season. Meanwhile, the Crimson Tide will be back in Tuscaloosa seeking a rebound win against South Florida on Wednesday.
