TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – In a game of runs, Alabama came out on top with a 73-64 win at Coleman Coliseum Friday night. Sophomore Trent Buttrick posted a career-best 13 points, going a perfect 5-5 from the field and 3-3 from beyond the arc, to lead Penn State.
Junior forward Lamar Stevens finished the night with 12 points, eight coming in the second half, and moved into Penn State's top 20 for career scoring with 1,252 career points. Alabama native Myreon Jones finished the night with 11 points, nine in the second stanza, and had a career-best three assists.
Big plays on defense, including a charge taken by Josh Reaves, helped the Nittany Lions keep the Tide without a field goal for four and a half minutes from 13:42 to 9:16 as Myreon Jones sparked a 14-2 run with seven points to tie the score at 49.
The lead changed hands five times over the next two minutes with a layup and 3-pointer by Buttrick and a Stevens layup giving the Nittany Lions a 54-53 lead with just less than eight minutes to play. A Stevens' dunk put Penn State within one, 57-56, but Donta Hall scored six-straight points to put the Tide up 63-58 at the 5:04 mark.
Penn State cut the deficit to three points after a big steal by Buttrick and two free throws by Jones, but Alabama got baskets from Dazon Ingram and Kira Lewis Jr and added four free throws in the final two minutes for the final outcome.
The Crimson Tide extended its lead to 12 after halftime off two Tevin Mack 3-pointers and a pair of free throws early in the second half, but Penn State kept battling.
Alabama shot 56 percent in the second half and was at 52.8 percent for the game. The Crimson Tide ended the first half going 8-10 from the field. Dunks by Myles Dread and Reaves trimmed the lead to four, but Tevin Mack had two key back-to-back three pointers to push the Tide lead back to 10.
Penn State took a 23-13 lead, but Alabama stormed back with a 20-4 run to take a 33-27 lead into halftime. The Tide had a 24-8 advantage in the paint as Watkins picked up two fouls early in the period.
Hall scored 17 points and had 11 rebounds to lead the Crimson Tide. Mack and John Petty, Jr., both scored in double figures with Petty going 5-7 with a trey for 13. Mack had nine of his 11 points in the second half with eight in the first four minutes of that period. Leading scorer Lewis was held scoreless in the first 20 minutes and to less than half his scoring average with 7 points.
The Nittany Lions return to the Bryce Jordan Center on Saturday, Dec. 29 with its final nonconference contest of the season vs. UMBC. Tip time is 1 p.m. For information or to purchase Penn State men's single-game tickets, visit GoPSUsports.com/mbbsinglegametix or call 1-800-NITTANY, weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Keep up to date with the latest information from Coach Chambers and the Nittany Lions on Twitter by following @Coach_Chambers and @PennStateMBB, on Facebook and Instagram at @PennStateMBB.
