Freshman John Petty poured in a game-high 22 points and made six of eight three-point attempts to lead the University of Alabama men’s basketball team to a 96-57 exhibition win over McGill University in Montreal.
The game was the first of a three-game Canadian tour for the Crimson Tide.
“Overall I’m very pleased with the energy and effort we played with versus a veteran McGill team,” Alabama head coach Avery Johnson said following the game. “We set the tone with our defense.
“In the first half we played with great pace, space and (we) made shots. The second half, we were very sloppy and lost a little focus and attention to detail. Those are all correctable mistakes that our team will embrace correcting going into our next game.”
Alabama started slowly, trailing 11-3 in the opening minutes but exploded with a 26-2 run to take command of the game. That stretch included three 3-point baskets by Petty, a highly touted recruit who was the Alabama High School Player of the Year last season.
Johnson substituted freely as the Crimson Tide built a lead of as much as 39 points. All 12 of the Crimson Tide’s eligible players saw at least 13 minutes of action.
Junior guard Ar’Mond Davis scored 14 points off the bench, while sophomore forward Daniel Giddens and freshman guard Collin Sexton both added 13. Alabama’s reserves outscored McGill’s, 43-17.
The Tide finished the game shooting 60 percent (34-of-57) from the field and 56 percent (14-of-25) from the beyond the arc, while holding the Redmen to just 33 percent (19-of-58) shooting from the floor and 23 percent (7-of-30) from deep. Alabama also owned a 34-25 advantage on the boards.
Alabama will return to action when they play Carleton in Ottawa, Ontario on Wednesday night. Tip time is set for 6 p.m. CT.
Reach Cecil Hurt at cecil@tidesports.com or 205-722-0225.
