Lacey and Releford lead the way
Trevor Lacey and Trevor Releford each had strong games in the Tide's 65-62 win over the Oregon State Beavers. Bama carved out a big 15 point second half lead only to see Oregon State roar back to tie the game at 62. This time it was Rodney Cooper who stepped up an knocked down a three pointer directly in front of the Alabama bench to give the Tide a 3 point lead. 12.2 seconds remained in the game. That was enough. The Crimson then survived a last second shot to escape. Ironically, Ahmad Starks hit a long 3 point basket and to seemingly tie the game. Oregon State head coach Craig Robinson called a time out a second before the shot. Alabama forced a key turnover in thelast 12 seconds, and then survived a long shot at the end.
It was a hard played game. In the first half Alabama actually controlled the boards. This was big for the shorter Tide. Bama continued ot hold their own in the paint throughout most of the game. The Alabama team occasionally got overpowered inside but fought for every rebound. Behind this strong board play Alabama built a 15 point lead. The magical moves of Trevor Releford ripped the Beaver defense several times for layups. When Releford wasn't making lay ups, his teammate, Trevor Lacey was knocking down threes. Alabama was only outscored 32-20 scored in the paint despite the huge size advantage the PAC 12 team enjoyed. It was only in the late stages of the game where the larger Oregon State game began to assert themselves down low. Kudos for Anthony Grant for putting in a game plan that did two things: Ahmad Starks scored on 3 points. Releford, Lacey, and Randolph put handcuffs on him for the entire game. Bama kept the taller Oregon State team out of the paint for 32 minutes. By the time Craig Robinson made adjustments inside, Alabama had built a 15 point lead which proved to be enough.
Releford ended with 14 points with 12 coming in the first half. He dazzled the small MSG audience with a series of almost unbelievable moves to the basket. Lacey finished with 20 points and was aptly named Player of the Game by the ESPN broadcasting crew. Once again Lacey was en fuego from behind the line. The key stat in the game was 20 turnovers caused by the Tide defense. It was the defense that kept the Beavers out of their half court game until the last 8 minutes of the game. Trevor Lacey made a lot of great plays, but the best was his brushing off a pick, and then outkicking a pass to the wide open Rodney Cooper at the 13 second mark. Cooper squared up and nailed the three from deep in corner. He was standing in front of the Bama bench which erupted in jubilation. So did the sizeable following of Tide fans sitting behind the team. It was a fitting finish for Lacey and Cooper. Both players had key roles in the Tide win. It was a good night for Alabama and true Alabama fans who are worried about their basketball team.
We had earlier predicted a breakout game for Lacey on the big stage in NYC. He didn't disappoint did he? Historically, I believe Lacey will be a Bama Great when all is said and done.
And for all the forum posters who continue to take pot shots at me - go right ahead. I do this to try to contribute something for the crummy coverage most media gives our team. For those of you who appreciate the effort, thank you. Any fool can make negative remarks behind a screen name. I will never understand why Tide fans are so hateful to other Tide fans. An absolute lack of class and in the flies in the face of our sports history. Roll Tide Roll to all true Alabama fans, and particularly those Tide fans in the 31 countries outside the US who read my blog.
It was a hard played game. In the first half Alabama actually controlled the boards. This was big for the shorter Tide. Bama continued ot hold their own in the paint throughout most of the game. The Alabama team occasionally got overpowered inside but fought for every rebound. Behind this strong board play Alabama built a 15 point lead. The magical moves of Trevor Releford ripped the Beaver defense several times for layups. When Releford wasn't making lay ups, his teammate, Trevor Lacey was knocking down threes. Alabama was only outscored 32-20 scored in the paint despite the huge size advantage the PAC 12 team enjoyed. It was only in the late stages of the game where the larger Oregon State game began to assert themselves down low. Kudos for Anthony Grant for putting in a game plan that did two things: Ahmad Starks scored on 3 points. Releford, Lacey, and Randolph put handcuffs on him for the entire game. Bama kept the taller Oregon State team out of the paint for 32 minutes. By the time Craig Robinson made adjustments inside, Alabama had built a 15 point lead which proved to be enough.
Releford ended with 14 points with 12 coming in the first half. He dazzled the small MSG audience with a series of almost unbelievable moves to the basket. Lacey finished with 20 points and was aptly named Player of the Game by the ESPN broadcasting crew. Once again Lacey was en fuego from behind the line. The key stat in the game was 20 turnovers caused by the Tide defense. It was the defense that kept the Beavers out of their half court game until the last 8 minutes of the game. Trevor Lacey made a lot of great plays, but the best was his brushing off a pick, and then outkicking a pass to the wide open Rodney Cooper at the 13 second mark. Cooper squared up and nailed the three from deep in corner. He was standing in front of the Bama bench which erupted in jubilation. So did the sizeable following of Tide fans sitting behind the team. It was a fitting finish for Lacey and Cooper. Both players had key roles in the Tide win. It was a good night for Alabama and true Alabama fans who are worried about their basketball team.
We had earlier predicted a breakout game for Lacey on the big stage in NYC. He didn't disappoint did he? Historically, I believe Lacey will be a Bama Great when all is said and done.
And for all the forum posters who continue to take pot shots at me - go right ahead. I do this to try to contribute something for the crummy coverage most media gives our team. For those of you who appreciate the effort, thank you. Any fool can make negative remarks behind a screen name. I will never understand why Tide fans are so hateful to other Tide fans. An absolute lack of class and in the flies in the face of our sports history. Roll Tide Roll to all true Alabama fans, and particularly those Tide fans in the 31 countries outside the US who read my blog.
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