After a season opening loss to Cornell on Saturday, Alabama had something to prove at home against Jackson State on Tuesday night. The Tide looked to avoid a 0-2 start in Anthony Grant’s first season with the Tide.
Alabama responded from the loss by beating Jackson State 86-69 at Coleman Coliseum for Anthony Grant’s first win as Head Coach of the Crimson Tide.
Tony Mitchell showed Alabama fans a sign of things to come
Alabama struggled throughout the first half, and took just a 5 point lead going into the half. But then, Freshman Tony Mitchell emerged and had a big second half finishing with 23 points and 5 rebounds for the Tide. Charvez Davis finished with 16 points, and Mikhail Torrance and JaMychal Green both finished with 13 points.
Alabama shot 54% from the field in an overall team performance. Alabama put together a complete game as they won by 17.
Garrison Johnson led all scorers as he put up 29 points against the Tide and was one of the only two Tiger players in double figures. Rod Melvin was the other player, and he put in 10 points off the bench.
The Alabama defense held Jackson State to just 41% shooting from the field and forced 13 turnovers. Jackson State won the rebounding battle 35-26.
Alabama was playing without senior Anthony Brock who was suspended indefinitely for a violation of team rules. That is a tough loss for Alabama, and really thins their backcourt.
With Brock out, Alabama is going to need Charvez Davis and Ben Eblen to step up. Davis did so tonight pouring in 16 points on 5/7 shooting from the field. They are going to need that same effort from Davis, and they will need Eblen to step up as long as Brock is suspended.
Alabama looks to build on their momentum following their first win as they host Providence on Friday. Providence is off to a 3-0 start following wins over Bryant, Bucknell, and Mercer. Alabama will be the first real test for Providence, and it will be a good test for the Tide to see where they are as a team right now. If they can pull out a big win over the Friars, it could lead to some even bigger momentum heading into the first road game of the season against Baylor.
It’s always nice to get the first win out of the way, and Alabama would like to be sitting at 2-0 right now, but at 1-1, there is still a lot of season left, and Alabama has time to prove themselves.
Top Performers
Alabama:
- Tony Mitchell 23 points (10/14) 5 rebounds
- Charvez Davis 16 points (5/7) 1 rebound
- Mikhail Torrance 13 points (3/7) 3 rebounds 8 assists
- JaMychal Green 13 points (5/9) 4 rebounds 2 assists
Jackson State:
- Garrison Johnson 29 points (10/22) 3 rebounds 3 assists
- Rod Melvin 10 points (5/11) 7 rebounds 4 assists
- Tyrone Hanson 8 points (2/13) 8 rebounds