Alabama builds lead, holds off Kansas State for latest win

A view of Coleman Coliseum before Alabama hosts Kansas State in the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Jan. 25, 2020.

A view of Coleman Coliseum before Alabama hosts Kansas State in the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Jan. 25, 2020.

The Alabama Crimson Tide men’s basketball team defeated the Kansas State Wildcats on Saturday afternoon in Coleman Coliseum as part of the Big 12/SEC challenge.

Alabama, which trailed by one point at halftime, built a 16-point lead by midway through the second half. The Wildcats were later able to claw back and close the gap to one point, but Alabama hit enough free throws late to come away with a 77-74 win.

Kira Lewis scored 26 points, his second highest total of the season, and helped hold off Kansas State by converting two free throws with 22 seconds remaining.

Alabama (12-7, 4-2 in SEC) earned its 10th win in its past 13 games. It entered Saturday ranked No. 38 in NET; Kansas State (8-10, 1-5 in Big 12) was No. 89.

“It’s big for us as a conference to do well in this to help our NET out, to help out how many bids we get," coach Nate Oats said during his radio show Monday. “We’re gonna try to do our part, make sure we get this win. It’s a home win against a beatable team that we need to beat to help the SEC out and help ourselves out.”

It was the second victory in a “winnable” game, as Oats termed it Monday, after the Tide prevailed over Vanderbilt, 77-62, in Nashville on Wednesday night.

Alabama, which has won three consecutive SEC games, next plays at LSU next Wednesday.

Here were the updates as the game happened:

SECOND HALF

Alabama 77, Kansas State 74 (final): It wasn’t pretty -- Alabama missed four free throws in the final two minutes -- but the Tide were able to hold off K-State in a sloppy ending in Tuscaloosa. Kira Lewis and Herb Jones both converted a combined five free throws in the final 30 seconds to effectively seal the win.

Alabama 69, Kansas State 67 (2:48): Kansas State continues to threaten what was once a comfortable lead for Alabama, but the Tide is doing just enough to hold off their Big 12 foes. K-State cut Alabama’s lead to one point three times before Alex Reese ended a drought of seven missed three-pointers by dropping one from beyond the arc.

Alabama 61, Kansas State 58 (7:12): Cold shooting from Alabama, which has missed its past five three-point attempts, and turnovers have helped K-State cut what was once a 16-point Tide lead to three points. K-State has hit three recent three-pointers and have quieted Coleman Coliseum -- except for a celebrating Wildcats bench. The run forced Nate Oats to bring John Petty, with four fouls, off the bench.

Alabama 59, Kansas State 46 (11:18): Coleman Coliseum felt ready to pop as the Tide went on a 14-0 run that included back-to-back three pointers by Jaden Shackelford and Kira Lewis. Alabama holds a 13-point lead but there is still time to play. K-State knocked down a three-pointer off an Alabama turnover and will have the ball after an Alabama offensive foul.

Alabama 47, Kansas State 43 (15:12): The second half has gotten chippy, with John Petty called for a technical after being whistled on the defensive end. K-State attempted seven free throws within a span of a little more than a minute, but missed three of them, helping the Tide to maintain its lead.

Alabama 41, Kansas State 37 (18:08): K-State calls a timeout after Alabama opens its largest lead of the game, 41-37. Big man Alex Reese was responsible for all five of the Tide’s points out of the break, on a three-pointer and then dunk.

FIRST HALF

Kansas State 37, Alabama 36 (halftime): There were six lead changes in the final five minutes of the first half, reflecting a game that Alabama has been able to tighten up but one in which they are still dealing with turnover issues. The Tide enter halftime with 10 turnovers and have only shot nine three-pointers. Their fewest in any game this season is 21, and Nate Oats was not pleased with that number.

Alabama 31, Kansas State 30 (3:42): The Tide have retaken the lead, capitalizing on a K-State offense that has turned the ball over four times on its last seven possessions. The Coleman Coliseum crowd reawakened when John Petty stole the ball and dished it to Kira Lewis for a dunk, and again when Herb Jones scored on a fast break to put Alabama back ahead. It’s the Tide’s first lead since it was briefly 18-17. Javian Davis got about two minutes of playing time before coming out and having his knee brace adjusted by a trainer.

Kansas State 25, Alabama 23 (7:56): K-State’s offense has begun to slow down, going scoreless on five of its last six possessions. But Alabama has not taken full advantage of the opportunity. They turned the ball over four times in a span of six possessions, while John Petty also missed the front end of a 1-and-1 from the free-throw line.

Kansas State 20, Alabama 18 (11:42): At the second media timeout, the story of the game is the same for Alabama: they are shooting well from beyond the arc (4-of-6) but are having trouble getting a stop on the back end. K-State scored on six of its eight possessions entering the stoppage.

Kansas State 12, Alabama 11 (14:43): Alabama is getting hot from three-point range early, as they have hit three out of five But defensively Alabama is showing some holes, which is why they are trailing. K-State has scored on five of its first eight possessions, including six points in the paint and four on second chances.

Pregame: Alabama is sticking with its small lineup, with Jaden Shackelford on the court as an extra guard and Alex Reese as the lone big man. The Tide will likely be down a big man with Javian Davis doubtful because of a knee injury. Wearing a sleeve over his right leg, Davis went through warmups with his teammates.

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