Alabama Men’s Basketball Wins at Texas Tech, 66-62

Guard Trevor Lacey led the Alabama men’s basketball to a 66-62 victory over Texas Tech Wednesday night with 21 points, six rebounds, and a steal. The sophomore also led the Crimson Tide from behind the three-point line, going 4-5.

“I’m proud of our guys for sticking together,” UA head coach Anthony Grant said. “I thought we did a good job in the first half attacking their zone and just making plays. In the second half, we had 12 turnovers and went nearly nine minutes with only one basket. I thought we did a good job weathering the storm and we were able to come away with the win.”

Junior guard Trevor Releford added 17 points and a team-high three steals. He went 11-14 from the free-throw line. Junior forward Jaye Crockett came off the bench for the Red Raiders, scoring a game-high 22 points and 11 rebounds.

Alabama jumped out to an early lead and was ahead 43-27 at the half. Texas Tech outpointed the Tide by eight points in the second half, but Alabama held on for the four-point win to go to 7-3 on the season while Texas Tech go to 5-3.

“I told the guys in the locker room after the game that we almost let one slip away unnecessarily today and I think they understood that,” Grant said. “We are happy we won, but we understand we have to do a better job of playing the entire 40 minutes.”

For the game, Alabama shot 51.1% (23-45) from the field and 35.7% (5-14) from behind the three-point arc. The Tide held Texas Tech to 37.9% (22-58) from the field. Alabama outrebounded the Red Raiders 33-28. Junior center Moussa Gueye led the Tide with seven rebounds.

Alabama plays again Saturday, December 22, against Mercer at home. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. CT and will be televised by CSS and the radio broadcast will be carried by the Crimson Tide Sports Network.  The game can be heard locally on 95.3 FM.