The University of Alabama basketball team fought until the final minute at Arizona on Saturday night but could never quite counter Arizona star DeAndre Ayton, who powered the Wildcats to an 88-82 win.
Ayton had a career-high 29 points and 19 rebounds into a pair of clutch jump shots in the final 1:35 to hold off the Crimson Tide, which trailed by just two points with two minutes to play.
Alabama freshman Collin Sexton had 30 points to lead all scorers before fouling out in the final minute. Donta Hall added a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Alabama (6-3) fell behind by as many as 11 points as Ayton, a 7-foot-1 freshman projected as a top 3 pick in the 2018 NBA draft, dominated the paint for the Wildcats and Sexton sat out with two quick fouls.
But the Crimson Tide outscored Arizona 27-14 over the final nine minutes of the half, taking a 40-38 lead at halftime when Sexton banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer before the break.
The two teams battled on even terms throughout the second half with neither team leading by more than six points until the final minute.
Alabama takes a 10-day break for final exams before playing Mercer on Dec. 19 in Huntsville.
