No. 3 Alabama routs UNC-Greensboro

Posted 7:42AM on Wednesday 4th December 2002 ( 22 years ago )

TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA - Point guard Mo Williams was serving up the ball and draining 3-pointers and the big men could hardly miss inside. The combination led No. 3 Alabama to its most lopsided and highest-scoring game of the season, an 89-61 win over North Carolina-Greensboro Tuesday night. It's also a recipe for a team that could make a big postseason run. So says Spartans coach Fran McCaffery. ``You need a great point guard and a great big guy, and they have that,'' said McCaffery, whose team has lost only to the Tide and No. 14 Kansas. ``Their young kids are talented. All the components are there.'' Not so fast, says Alabama coach Mark Gottfried. The Tide (5-0) remains thin inside with recruits Kennedy Winston and Lucky Williams sidelined by eligibility questions. ``I think we're still missing a few things, but I like our defense,'' Gottfried said. ``I think we can substitute on the perimeter right now, and we're not missing a beat. Substituting on the inside, I'm not sure.'' It hardly mattered against the Spartans (3-2) as the Tide equaled its school-record 22-game home winning streak begun late in the 1971 season. Erwin Dudley was 7-of-9 for 18 points and Kenny Walker scored a season-high 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting inside. Mo Williams, meanwhile, had 13 points, made 3-of-6 3-pointers and dished out seven assists. The trio keyed a 29-6 run in the final 8:50 of the first half for a 48-28 halftime lead before hitting the bench in the last 10 minutes. The 17-percent second-half shooting performance against Ohio State and 4-of-16 start quickly became memories. Alabama shot 48.6 percent. ``We rarely have a bad shooting game at home,'' Mo Williams said. ``I knew they were going to fall at home. ``When the big guys got it going, it just opened it up more for us.'' Nine Alabama players scored at least five points. The Tide dominated the boards 46-32 and the inside scoring (38-10). ``They overpowered us,'' McCaffery said. ``They were quicker to the ball, and they were the more aggressive team. If you're going to go on the road and play the No. 3 team, you have to get to the ball, and we didn't do that.'' James Maye led UNC-Greensboro with 13 points, all in the first half. Leading scorer Jay Joseph had nine points, eight below his season average. Alabama has only been ranked this high once before, spending two weeks at No. 3 in January 1977. The Tide didn't start out looking particularly deserving of the high ranking until midway through the first half. Walker and Dudley combined for 25 points before halftime as Alabama outscored UNC-Greensboro 24-4 in the paint, shot 51 percent and committed only one turnover. ``We moved the ball better tonight than we did against Ohio State,'' Gottfried said. ``We've got a number of different guys that can make shots.'' Including reserve Reggie Rambo, who started the first-half run with a bank shot and a putback. Alabama followed shortly with 15 straight points, turning up the defense. ``We came out with enthusiasm and pressured the ball and tried to make it seem like there was seven on the court,'' said reserve guard Antoine Pettway, who scored eight. ``We focused on defense all week and it paid off.''

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