Naismith Trophy Watch List candidate Brandon Miller came through with a double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 13 rebounds, to help No. 20 Alabama roll past Longwood 75-54 Monday night in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
After ending last season on a four-game losing streak, the Crimson Tide got back on track to start the 2022-23 season.
Mark Sears also had a double-double, with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Rylan Griffen scored 14 points for the Crimson Tide, who shot 39.1 percent from the field. Noah Clowney finished with 9 points and 11 rebounds, just missing on a double-double.
Michael Christmas led the Lancers with 12 points. Longwood shot just 26.8 percent from the floor and was outrebounded 67-38. No one else for the Lancers scored more than six.
With the exception of trailing 3-2 after a 3-pointer by Christmas, the Crimson Tide were ahead of the Lancers.
They took their first double-digit lead of the night on a 3-pointer by Griffen with 7:17 left in the half. His shot gave the Crimson Tide a 24-12 lead.
Alabama led by as many as 16 in the first half after Miller scored on a layup that put the Tide up 30-14 with 4:50 to play.
The Lancers, though, didn’t back down and closed the gap to 34-26 at the half when Isaiah Wilkins nailed a 3-pointer with 53 seconds left.
Alabama shot 45.2 percent in the opening half of play but was just 1-of-13 from 3-point range. Longwood connected on only 25.7 percent of its shots in the first 20 minutes and went 4-for-8 from 3-point land.
Griffen hit a 3-pointer with 18:21 left that pushed the Alabama lead to 35-26. Just under two minutes later, Clowney buried a 3-pointer that gave the Tide a 42-27 advantage.
Miller’s two free throws with 11:14 to go made the score 50-33 in favor of the Crimson Tide. Jaden Bradley stretched the lead to 20 at 64-44, hitting a jumper with 4:30 left in the game.
–Field Level Media