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No. 16 Alabama bounces back, drops Detroit

Dec 12, 2011 - 2:46 AM Tuscaloosa, AL (Sports Network) - JaMychal Green scored 21 points, Tony Mitchell had 15 and No. 16 Alabama bounced back from a pair of losses to beat Detroit, 62-54, on Sunday.

Nick Jacobs added 13 points for the Crimson Tide (8-2), who were undefeated until losing to Georgetown and Dayton in a seven-day span this month.

Alabama had a 16-point lead at halftime and held on down the stretch after Detroit cut it to single digits.

"Obviously, it's good to be back in the win column," said Alabama head coach Anthony Grant. "I thought tonight we came out with great energy and great focus. I think the first half, from a defensive stand point, was exactly what we needed."

Ray McCallum scored 13 points to lead Detroit (5-7) while Doug Anderson had 12 and Chase Simon 10. The Titans had a two-game winning streak snapped after picking up good victories over St. John's and Western Michigan.

Jacobs scored the game's first four points on a layup and a dunk and Alabama opened with a 12-1 run, capped by Mitchell's jumper less than six minutes in.

Detroit head coach Ray McCallum, whose son plays for the team, said he was disappointed by his team's slow start.

"But I think Alabama had a lot to do with it," he said.

The Crimson Tide shot 56.7 percent from the floor in the first half, despite going just 2-for-10 from three-point range, and led by as many as 22 points.

They carried a 38-22 lead into the locker room.

Detroit clawed within nine points midway through the second half, then again with 70 seconds left. But Alabama held on despite scoring just three points -- all on free throws -- in the final four-plus minutes.

It was only the second time the programs ever played. In the first meeting, Alabama beat Detroit, 74-63, in the 2001 NIT Final Four.

Game Notes

Alabama shot 48 percent for the game but just 2-of-15 from beyond the arc...Detroit shot 32.1 percent, including 24.1 percent in the first half...The Crimson Tide were out-rebounded 38-31.