Alabama basketball fights off South Dakota State, avoids letdown loss
Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats made clear Friday this would be a maturity game.
How the No. 11 Crimson Tide performed against South Dakota State on Saturday would be a good litmus test of Alabama's mental development at the beginning of December. The Crimson Tide showed it can compete with big-name programs on a national stage over Thanksgiving. Saturday gave the team a chance to show it could avoid a letdown and beat a lesser team. South Dakota State entered the game with a losing record and was fresh off a loss Friday on the road to Kent State.
A year ago, a loss in this circumstance wouldn't have been that out of character for Alabama. Oats' squad in 2021-22 would find a way to beat one of the country's best teams only to lose to a basement dweller next.
The Crimson Tide started out flying and shooting the lights out from beyond the arc. Then it let South Dakota sneak back into the game late in the first half in what became a competitive game until late.
Alabama could have kept its foot on the gas better and not let up like it did, but it finished and started strong. In the end, the Crimson Tide emerged with a 78-65 victory at Coleman Coliseum.
"I think a more mature group doesn't have the defensive letdown we had," Oats said. "But we did show enough character after giving up the lead to get it back. I wouldn't call them immature, but we've got some room to grow."
Here are observations and takeaways from the game between Alabama (7-1) and South Dakota State (3-6).
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Noah Clowney impressive early after injury
Clowney didn't miss much time with a lower body contusion. Not even a full game.
That didn't seem likely when he crashed to the floor in the win over UNC last Sunday with 16:37 left in the first half in the third-place game of the Phil Knight Invitational.
He showed right away against South Dakota State that he is not only healthy enough to play but also healthy enough to dominate. Clowney led all scorers with 22 points. He also had nine rebounds.
"Looks like their game plan was to leave Clowney open," Oats said. "Made them pay."
Clowney started on a roll. He missed the first 3-pointer he attempted, but then he knocked down triple after triple. He had 12 points not even five minutes into the game.
His efforts weren't limited to scoring either. He also made a nice play early to poke the ball away, allowing Brandon Miller to steal it. Clowney also tallied an early assist.
He was the top reason why Alabama built an early big lead.
Clowney's shooting from beyond the arc slowed, but he was crucial late as he drew multiple charges to help Alabama start gaining an advantage again after South Dakota State took a one-point lead with 11:33 left.
Clowney took four charges in total. Between his back injury and a bloody nose at one point, he fought through some obstacles to put together a career night. The freshman's previous scoring high was 10 against Michigan State.
"I was sore, but I could play," Clowney said. "I wasn't going to try to play different than I usually do. As far as my performance, I just feel like I had a rough start shooting the ball to the season and they scouted that, they seen that, and they felt like they could live with me taking shots."
Alabama rides shooting rollercoaster
For a while, Alabama had players hitting 3-pointers left and right. Look away for a second and you'd miss one.
At one point early in the first half, the Crimson Tide had a 37-17 lead with 6:35 left in the first half and was shooting 9-for-15 from beyond the arc.
Then the Crimson Tide was a shell of that team. South Dakota State went on a 15-2 run.
After Alabama shot better than 40% from beyond the arc in the first half, the Crimson Tide shot 21.1% from deep after halftime. When South Dakota State took that one-point lead, Alabama hadn't scored in almost six minutes.
The Crimson Tide woke up offensively enough late, though.
The second-half shooting efforts of players such as Brandon Miller, Mark Sears, Clowney and Nimari Burnett, who had a big second-half dunk, were enough to get Alabama out with a win. Burnett and Sears had seven in the second half. Miller scored 11.
Up next
The Crimson Tide has another matchup against the country's top-ranked team with a trip to Texas. Alabama will travel to Houston to face the No. 1 Cougars on Saturday, Dec. 10 (2 p.m., ABC).
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama basketball fights off South Dakota State, avoids letdown loss
