After a lackluster showing against Tennessee State on Monday night, Texas knew they needed to play better if they were going to beat Alabama on the road. The Longhorns responded and got a big win against the Crimson Tide, 66-50. Center Mo Bamba played perhaps the best game of his young collegiate career, collecting a career high 17 points and grabbing 11 rebounds to go along with 5 blocked shots. Kerwin Roach added 11 points and a team high 5 assists.
The Longhorns continued their season trend of allowing their defense to set the tone for the night. Texas held Alabama to 34.4% from the field and 20% from three. The Longhorns took a 35-28 lead heading into halftime, but allowed Alabama to hang around in the second half behind some big shots from John Petty, who finished with a team high 14 points. The Crimson Tide never got closer than a possession though, and the hot shooting of Eric Davis allowed the Longhorns to eventually put the game away. Davis saw his first action in 2 games after suffering a wrist injury.
Texas will now prepare for the conference opener on December 29th against Kansas at the Erwin Center. The Longhorns are hopeful that starting guard Andrew Jones is close to returning from a broken wrist, possibly in time for the Kansas game or early in Big 12 conference play. The lone non conference game left on the schedule will take place on January 27th in Austin, when Texas hosts Ole Miss as a part of the Big 12/SEC challenge.
