Aden Holloway scored 20 points, Latrell Wrightsell Jr. hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with about a minute left, and Alabama outlasted Texas A&M 100-97 on Wednesday night. In a game that saw 28 lead changes and 13 ties, Wrightsell's 3-pointer gave the Crimson Tide a 97-95 lead with 1:11 remaining. Holloway’s layup made it 99-95 with 22 seconds left.
The win was a sharp contrast to the Crimson Tide’s weekend loss to Florida. The controversy over Charles Bediako followed Alabama to Gainesville. Florida’s raucous student section taunted the 7-foot center unmercifully with chants of “G League dropout” during a 100-77 loss in Gainesville on Sunday. It provided a glimpse of what the most controversial player in college basketball should expect at road games in the Southeastern Conference and potentially the NCAA Tournament. Coach Nate Oats says “fans are going to do what they do" and adds that he "expected something similar to that.”
Bediako is suing the NCAA in an attempt to regain college eligibility despite leaving school early in 2023 and entering the NBA draft.
As for the win over Texas A & M, the Aggies had one last chance to tie, but Rylan Griffen missed a 3-pointer as time ran out. Labaron Philon scored 17 points, Wrightsell 16, Amari Allen 12 and London Jemison 10 off the bench for Alabama. Rashaun Agee led Texas A&M with 21 points. Marcus Hill scored 18 points and Griffen added 17 for the Aggies (17-5, 7-2), who fell into a first-place tie with Florida, their next opponent. Both teams rely heavily on the 3-pointer and there were 79 attempted 3s in the game. Alabama made 16 of 48 and Texas A&M hit on 13 of 31.
Jemison scored seven points in Alabama's 12-2 run that gave the Crimson Tide a 28-19 lead midway through the first half. The Aggies responded with two dunks by Jamie Vinson and 3-pointers from Griffen and Zach Clemence to take a 29-28 lead with seven minutes remaining in the half.
There were four lead changes in the next couple of minutes then Texas A&M went up by six on a 3-pointer by Vinson. Alabama hit three 3s in the final 3 1/2 minutes, the last from Wrightsell at the buzzer to tie the score at 46.
