Alabama went cold from beyond the arc in the second half of Thursday night’s early-season top-10 battle with Purdue. As a result, the eighth-ranked Crimson Tide faded late and dropped an 87-80 result to the second-ranked Boilermakers.
The loss is Alabama’s first of the season.
“We didn’t deserve to win,” coach Nate Oats said after the game.
Aden Holloway led the Tide with 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the floor and 5-of-9 from beyond the arc. Labaron Philon added 11 points and 7 assists, though he shot just 5-of-14 from the field and 1-of-6 from 3. Taylor Bol Bowen had 13 points, and Aiden Sherrell added 12.
Latrell Wrightsell Jr. struggled in the loss, going 2-of-9 from the floor and 1-of-6 from 3 to finish with 6 points. He missed his last 4 shots from the field in the game, though his cold night was hardly isolated. Alabama went 6-for-23 from beyond the arc in the second half.
That helped Purdue, which held a 2-point lead at the break, inch ahead. The Boilermakers closed on a 7-0 run to win.
Alabama had no answers for Braden Smith or Trey Kaufman-Renn. Smith took 12 free throws, making 10 of them, and knocked down 5 triples to finish with a game-high 29 points. Kaufman-Renn flirted with a triple-double, posting 19 points to go with 15 rebounds and 5 assists.
More specifically, Alabama had no answers for Purdue in the painted area. The Boilermakers took 23 free throws compared to Alabama’s 10. They outscored the Tide in the paint 30-22. And, perhaps most importantly, they outrebounded the Tide 52-28.
That included 19 offensive rebounds, which led to 16 second-chance points. Eight of Kaufman-Renn’s boards came on the offensive glass.
“They outrebounded us by 24,” Oats said. “That’s embarrassing.”
Still, the Tide had a chance late. Philon flushed through a slam with 3:05 to play in the game, drawing the Tide within 3 points of the Boilermakers. That was the last shot attempt Alabama took inside the arc in the game.
The Tide’s final 5 attempts all came from beyond the arc. A triple from Houston Mallette with 1:42 to play tied the game at 80.
Smith got a shot at the rim to go 24 seconds later to put Purdue up by a score. Philon then missed the front end of a one-and-one and Alabama fouled Smith late in the ensuing Purdue possession. Smith made both of his foul shots to put Purdue up 4 with 47 seconds to play.
Alabama missed a triple on its next possession and had to play the foul game late. Purdue’s Oscar Cluff made 3 of 4 free throws to put the game away.
The Tide travel to Big Ten country next. They’ll face Illinois next Wednesday, Nov. 19, at the United Center in Chicago. The Illini are 3-0 on the season and currently ranked 14th in the AP poll.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
