For Alabama, the Tide really turned in the second half.
A series of halftime adjustments from Alabama head coach Anthony Grant helped the Crimson Tide tame Villanova and win the 2K Sports Classic championship game 77-55 at Madison Square Garden last night.
“I’m proud of the way we were able to maintain our composure,” Grant said. “We got into some foul trouble in the first half. In the second half we were able to develop a little bit of a lead and close this one out strong.”
Alabama was led by the sharpshooting of tournament MVP Trevor Releford, who led all scorers with 25 points, and was a perfect 5-for-5 from 3-point range.
“I thought Trevor was terrific today,” Grant said. “He had a great shooting night and was the catalyst for the way the rest of our guys responded.”
While the score suggested the SEC is as dominant against the Big East as it would be in football, the first half of the game felt more like a heavyweight boxing match than a basketball game.
“It was a lot of stop-and-go and I think we did a good job of getting through that,” Alabama guard Andrew Steele said.
For the majority of the first half, Alabama and Villanova matched one another blow-for-blow, with the Crimson Tide and Wildcats exchanging the lead seven times before the intermission.
The biggest first half lead for either team came after a trey from guard Retin Obasohan gave the Crimson Tide an 18-12 advantage.
The Crimson Tide outshot the Wildcats from the field, hitting 57 percent of their shots, including 9-of-15 from 3-point distance.
Villanova, by comparison, hit just 32 percent of its shots with JayVaughn Pinkston leading the Wildcats with 17 points.
“Just a lot of little things lead to a game like this, but mostly Alabama being very, very good,” Villanova head coach Jay Wright said. “We are definitely a work in progress.”
Oregon St. 66, Purdue 58
In the consolation game, Bronx native Devon Collier looked dominant in the Beavers’ victory.
Collier, who attended All Hallows High in The Bronx before finishing up at St. Anthony in Jersey City, scored a game-high 27 points, one night after a 21-point performance in a 65-62 loss to the Crimson Tide, all in front of his own cheering section.
“It’s very hard to come home and have a good game,” Oregon State head coach Craig Robinson said. “Most guys don’t play well when they have a homecoming like this. Devon has proven me wrong.”