1-seed Bama bests 9-seed MS State with 3-point barrage

Nashville, Tenn. — No. 1 seed Alabama (27-5, 16-2 SEC) showed off a 72-49 victory over No. 9 seed Mississippi State in the quarterfinals of the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament on Saturday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

Alabama’s multi-faceted attack struck in transition with 20-2 fastbreak points and 19 points from Bulldogs turnovers. The Tide drained an impressive 13 shots from beyond the arc while holding Mississippi State to a season-low score and just four assists.

Brandon Miller recorded team highs in multiple categories with 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists, becoming the first Alabama player with 15+ points, 5+ rebounds, and 5+ assists in an SEC Tournament game in the last 25 years. He also led the Tide’s effort from distance with four of 13 3-pointers.

Three others scored in double figures for Alabama: Charlie Bediako (11 points, six rebounds, five blocks), Jahvo Quinerly (10 points, four assists) and Noah Gurley (11 points).

Tolu Smith took charge for the Bulldogs, scoring 17 with nine free throws and grabbing 11 boards. Dashawn Davies proved to be another driving force with 13 points. DJ Jeffries followed Smith on the board with seven rebounds while scoring seven.

The Crimson Tide came to the court with the clear goal of showing what made them regular season champions.

Alabama’s accuracy from deep made the difference in the first half as an explosive 7-0 kicking run started its dominant offense. The Bulldogs were able to make some shots but were no match for the Tide’s three-point attack that controlled the first few minutes of the game. A pair of baskets by Davis and a pair of free throws by Smith brought the Bulldogs within five, 18-13, before an 8-0 run, including a beautiful shot beyond the arc by Welch at the 6:30 mark, set the tide. two more, 26-13.

Davis cashed in a jumper in an attempt to break up Alabama’s rhythm, but Miller died with another 3-pointer. The Bulldogs remained unaccounted for as the Waves continued to rain down from distance. Miller drilled his third triple on a fast break with just 18 seconds left in the first, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Alabama entered the half with a 20-point lead, 41-21, marking the sixth time this season it has led an SEC opponent by 20+ points at halftime.

The Tide sent off 20 shots from behind the arc in the first half, draining eight of them, compared to Mississippi State’s five missed attempts. At halftime, Alabama had 12 assists, more than the Bulldogs’ lone assist, and dominated overall shooting from the field (45.7% to 25.8%).

Miller opened the second-half scoring with his fifth assist of the game, floating a pass to Bediako for a smooth layup before finding the basket himself with a fastbreak layup off a Bediako steal. Quinerly made another to secure Alabama’s second largest lead of the game at a 24-point advantage, 47-23, with 17:12 to go.

As the tide began to charge from the bench, Mississippi State began to chip away from the free throw line, sticking to six along with a couple of two-point shots, to bring the deficit to 20, 52-33, with 13:51. the rest The Bulldogs would lead to some back-and-forth shots, but, in the end, the Crimson Tide continued its reign from deep, hitting back-to-back triples by Mark Sears and Noah Clowney to create a 63-43 advantage with less than four minutes left. to play.

Alabama went on a 13-2 run fueled by a trademark 3-pointer and took its biggest lead of the contest with a 25-point advantage before Smith hung one last dunk and finished the score, 72-49, to advance the Tide in the SEC Tournament.

Until Next Time

Alabama will face the winner of Game 8 between 4-seed Missouri and 5-seed Tennessee in the semifinals of the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament on Saturday at 1pm ET – the game will be televised on the SEC Network.

Mississippi State (21-12, 8-10 SEC) has been eliminated from the tournament.