Tide has to rally in second half to beat UL-M

TUSCALOOSA | There was a warm welcome for former University of Alabama basketball assistant coach Orlando Early at Coleman Coliseum on Tuesday night.

But Early, now the head coach at Louisiana-Monroe, proved to be a rather difficult guest.

No. 6 Alabama finally wore down the pesky Warhawks for a 75-61 win, but only after a 30-minute struggle that actually saw UL-M hold a one-point halftime lead.

“That was a terrific job by Orlando Early," Alabama coach Mark Gottfried said.

“He had his team prepared. He knows what we are trying to do offensively and defensively.

“It was kind of funny because I’d call out a play, and he’d call out a defense right after it. He knew what we were trying to do, and it was the same for us some of the time."

Alabama was never able to build a lead of more than four points in the first half. UL-M, powered by the long-range shooting of guard Tony Hooper, who had 13 of his 19 points in the first half, took a one-point halftime lead, 37-36, on Jonas Brown’s 3-point basket at the buzzer before intermission.

The Warhawks extended that lead to as many as five points, 41-36, with 17:54, but the Crimson Tide -- playing once again without All-America point guard Ronald Steele -- finally came alive at that point.

Alabama went on a 9-0 run over the next 3:16 to take a 45-41 lead. UL-M then came back to tie the game at 45 with 13:19 remaining.

The Crimson Tide then clinched the game with a 12-0 run over the next three minutes, a rally highlighed by a pair of Alonzo Gee dunks.

While Gottfried praised the UL-M effort, he did note several factors that inhibited the Tide’s performance.

“First, we don’t have Ron Steele playing," Gottfried said.

“Second, Jermareo [Davidson] had a night that was just not typical for him. And then we must have had 15 shots that were a foot away that we couldn’t get in the basket.

“You’re going to have nights like that, but I don’t think we’ll have that many nights this year where we get the ball 5 feet and in and can’t get it to go in the hoop."

Davidson struggled the most in that situation, making just 3 of 15 shots from the floor. He did finish with his fifth double-double of the year, scoring 12 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.

Gee also had a double-doouble, scoring 22 points and claiming 10 rebounds. He tied for game scoring honors with Mykal Riley, who also had 22 points for the Tide.

Richard Hendrix scored a personal season high of 18 points and added 12 rebounds for UA, now 6-0.

Early said the Crimson Tide’s size around the basket eventually wore down the Warhawks, who are 3-4.

“It was a joy to be back in Tuscaloosa until the game started," he joked.

“Alabama is a great team. We played well in the first half, but I’ve been in that locker room at halftime before and I knew that Mark would have them ready when they came out in the second half.

“We played with a high level of energy, but their size really destroyed us."

Hooper led UL-M with 19 points, while Brown added 17.

Steele, who has tendinitis in his right knee, sat out for a second straight game.

“I thought he might play tonight but at game time he didn’t feel 100 percent so we decided to hold him out," Gottfried said. “He’s had nine straight days of rest, and hopefully we can start working him into practice this week.

“I’m not really concerned," Gottfried added when asked if Steele’s long-term prospects had changed. “We’ve got the best doctors in the world and they have reassured us that it’s not serious."

The game was stopped for nearly 13 minutes in the first half after a member of the UA security forces collapsed and was administered to by medical personnel.

Reach Cecil Hurt at cecil.hurt@tuscaloosanews.com or at 205-722-0225