Alabama Men’s Basketball Blows Past USC Upstate, 78-61, Thursday Night

Sophomore Donta Hall scored a career-high 15 points to help lift the Alabama men’s basketball team to a 78-61 victory over the USC Upstate Spartans on Thursday night at Coleman Coliseum. The Crimson Tide improves to an overall 5-4 record, while the Spartans fall to 7-6.

The Tide went on a 14-5 run to start the game, and it held a six point lead at midway point of the first half at 20-14. With five minutes left in the half, Alabama managed to stretch the lead out to eight points at 27-19. From that point on, the Tide went on a 12-7 run to close out the half to take a 39-26 lead going into the locker room.

Alabama continued to extend the lead in the second half, as it held a 16-point lead at the midway point of the half at 61-44. The Tide lengthened its lead to 23 points, 73-50, with five minutes left in regulation. The Spartans went on to score 11 more points, but it wasn’t enough as the Tide cruised to a 78-61 victory.

Alabama shot 53 percent from the field in the 40 minute contest, and it registered 44 rebounds while limiting its counterparts to 33. The Tide’s bench outscored the Spartans’ by a 32-21 margin, and it scored 48 points in the paint while holding USC Upstate to 20 points in the lane.

The Tide will be back in action on Sunday, Dec. 18, when it travels to Birmingham, Ala., to take on the Clemson Tigers in the Vulcan Classic. The game at Legacy Arena is set to broadcast on ESPNU at 3 p.m. CT.