LAS VEGAS — A 3-point play by senior Alec Peters with 56 seconds to play capped a 24-point night and proved to be the difference Monday in the Valparaiso men’s basketball team’s 68-60 victory against Alabama in the semifinals of the Las Vegas Main Event at the MGM Grand.
Alabama will take on Saint Louis in the consolation game at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, while Valparaiso will take on BYU at 11 p.m. Wednesday.
The back-and-forth game featured five ties and six lead changes. Alabama led 45-44 with less than 12 minutes remaining, but Valpo used an 11-2 run in the next six-plus minutes to take a 55-47 lead with 5 minutes, 29 seconds remaining. Alabama cut the lead to 64-60 with 43 seconds left but couldn’t get any closer.
“It was a tough, hard-fought game,” Alabama coach Avery Johnson said. “We didn’t get off to a good start. And because we didn’t get off to a good start, they kind of set the tone early. We got a little bit stagnant on offense, we got in the bonus too early when we were on defense. So the aggressor won the game tonight, and the team that played the smartest.”
In the first half, Alabama shot 50 percent from the field and 20 percent from beyond the arc. The Crimson Tide outscored the Crusaders in the paint, 24-8, and received 18 points from the bench, compared to four points from their counterparts. However, Alabama trailed 34-31 at halftime.
Alabama shot 23 of 56 (41.1 percent) from the floor and 6 of 21 (28.6) from 3-point range, while Valpo was 23 of 49 (46.9) from the field and 7 of 18 (38.9) from 3-point range. The Crimson Tide held a 35-32 edge on the glass.
Senior Corban Collins and junior Riley Norris led Alabama with 10 points, while sophomore Donta Hall had nine points and a career-best 12 rebounds. Redshirt freshman Dazon Ingram had eight points and a game-high five assists.
Peters, the Horizon League’s preseason Player of the Year, added 10 rebounds. Jubril Adekoya had 16 points, while Shane Hammink had 10.
n Southern Mississippi 63,
Alabama A&M 55: At Hattiesburg, Sophomore forward Tim Rowe had a season-high 17 points and career-high nine rebounds, while senior forward Raheem Watts scored a career-high 19 points and grabbed five boards to lead the Golden Eagles.
Junior Colleges
n East Mississippi Community College 83, Wallace State-Hanceville 55: At Scooba, the Lions hit 10 3-pointers in the second half Monday to break open a close game and earn a victory at Keyes T. Currie Coliseum.
Freshman Carlos Thomas was 10 of 12 from the field en route to a career-best 24-point performance. He added five rebounds and five assists. Sophomore David McFarland was 9 of 14 from the field, including 6 of 8 from behind the arc, and had a game-high 25 points. He added a career-high 11 rebounds and had five assists
Sophomore Anterio McKines had 13 of his season-high 16 points in the second half.
EMCC (4-2) will play host to Tennessee Prep Academy at 7:30 Monday. The EMCC women (4-2) will play host to Lawson State C.C. at 5:30 p.m. Monday.
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