Zach Edey and Mark Sears battle, but Purdue outlasts Alabama basketball
The matchup between unranked Alabama and No. 4 Purdue felt like David vs. Goliath. Or more specifically, 6-foot-1 Mark Sears vs. 7-4 Zach Edey.
The two made plays in different ways for their teams, Sears mainly from beyond the arc and Edey near the rim. But Sears and Edey continued to traded blows for 40 minutes, each scoring 35 points.
Goliath, however, came out on top. Purdue outlasted Alabama 92-86 on Saturday.
Here are observations from the game between Alabama (6-3) and No. 4 Purdue (9-1) from Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto, Canada.
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Even Mo Wague was hitting 3-pointers.
Wague, a big man who hadn't hit a triple all year, drained one about halfway through the first half. He was one of seven Crimson Tide players who sunk shots from beyond the arc before the break.
Sears led the way with four 3-pointers, giving him a team-high 15 points at the half. Grant Nelson and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. joined him in knocking down multiple shots from deep before the break.
Alabama shot 13 of 25 (52%) from beyond the arc in the first half, and it was needed to stay ahead of Purdue.
The Crimson Tide grabbed a double-digit lead at one point, but the Boilermakers marched back. With a 14-4 run, Purdue got right back into the game and kept scoring frequently. As Alabama's defense struggled to stop Edey without fouling, he and the Boilermakers kept pace with the Crimson Tide. Edey had a game-high 18 points at the break as Alabama held a 49-47 lead at halftime.
Foul trouble limits Alabama down the stretch
Edey drew fouls left and right.
Wague tallied his fourth foul just over a minute into the second half. Not even five minutes into the second half, Nick Pringle added his fourth. Those are two bigs who couldn't see much time in a game where Alabama needed all the help from bigs it could get.
That hurt the Crimson Tide at times down the stretch as Edey went to work. Pringle fouled out with 3:04 left. Then Wague fouled out with 1:05 left. That not only allowed Edey to do damage in the paint, but he also made every shot from the free-throw line. Edey finished 11 of 11 on free throws and 12 of 20 from the field, tallying 35 points and 7 rebounds.
Despite being shorthanded, Alabama fought until the final seconds, but the Crimson Tide couldn't muster enough to pull off the upset.
What's next?
The Crimson Tide goes to the next game in a gauntlet of a stretch, facing No. 12 Creighton in Omaha, Nebraska, in a true road game next Saturday. Then, on Wed., Dec. 20, Alabama will face No. 1 Arizona in Phoenix, Arizona.
Nick Kelly is the Alabama beat writer for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network, and he covers Alabama football and men's basketball. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama basketball: Crimson Tide falls just short of upset of No. 4 Purdue
