Alabama (3-1) built a 13-point lead just eight minutes into Friday’s game and led the rest of the way in a 79-61 win at TD Arena on day two of the Charleston Classic.
K.J. Walton led the Cardinals with 13 points against Alabama, while Trey Moses went for 11. Kyle Mallers and Tayler Persons had 10 each. Moses, working his way back from preseason knee surgery, started to look like himself in the second half when he scored all of his points.
Ball State shot 63 percent from the floor in the second half and attempted 13 more free throws for the game but could not cut into the Alabama lead. The Crimson Tide owned a 46-30 advantage in the paint and 15-4 in second-chance points.
“The first half when things got really hard for us, we took too much on our shoulders individually, tried to make a lot of one-on-one plays, and it backfired on us,” Ball State head coach James Whitford said. “In the second half, we shared the ball better, and I thought we really played good offense.”
Ball State finished just 3-of-12 from 3-point range and didn’t make its first trey until Ishmael El-Amin connected on one with 12:54 to play.
Tevin Mack led Alabama with 20 points and knocked down 5-of-9 from 3-point range. He entered the game just 1-of-13 from beyond the arc. Donta Hall added 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Crimson Tide.
“Our defense wasn’t tough enough in the second half,” Whitford said. “We scored the ball well enough to make a run, but it was too easy for them. It was a frustrating game for us, and I thought we let that frustration impact us on the defensive side.”
(Courtesy of BSU Athletics)