Box Score (.pdf)

Tuscaloosa, Ala. – The USC Upstate men's basketball team had four players finish in double-figures Thursday evening as the Spartans dropped a 78-61 road decision against the Alabama Crimson Tide in front of 9,773 fans at Coleman Coliseum.

Upstate falls to 7-6 overall while Alabama improves to 5-4 on the season.

Malik Moore scored a team-high 14 points to lead the Spartans offensively, and was joined in double-figures by Mike Cunningham (13), Michael Buchanan (10) and Philip Whittington (10). Donta Hall had a game-high 15 points for the Crimson Tide.

GAME BREAKDOWN

• Buchanan and Moore scored the first five points as Upstate held an early 5-2 lead over Alabama just over two minutes into the game.
• The Crimson Tide answered by scoring the next 12 points as part of a 16-3 run over a span of nearly five minutes and went ahead 18-8 at the 11:50 mark on a layup from Braxton Key.
• Buchanan scored four straight points for the Spartans at the free-throw line and cut their deficit down to one point, 20-19, with 8:22 left.
• Hall would put Alabama back in front by 10 points, 29-19, four minutes later with a layup.
• The Crimson Tide led by as many as 15 points in the first half when Dazon Ingram's layup gave them a 39-24 advantage with 47 seconds left before halftime.
• A jumper by Cunningham with 30 seconds remaining sent Upstate into halftime trailing 39-26.
• The Spartans stayed within a 14-point margin during the first four minutes of the second half and were down 47-33 at the 16:28 mark following a jumper from Whittington.
• Alabama held its largest lead of the game, 23 points, three times over the final 8:16 with the last coming with 4:55 to go after a 3-pointer by Riley Norris put the score at 73-50.
• Buchanan, Whittington and Deion Holmes teamed up for a 6-0 Upstate run, and Whittington's layup with 2:02 left cut its deficit to 73-56.
• Tim Hart's first career field goal as a Spartan, a 3-pointer, with 15 seconds remaining made the final score 78-61.

• Moore and Buchanan both finished a combined three rebounds shy of compiling double-doubles as Buchanan pulled down a team-high nine and Moore added eight. Six of Buchanan's nine rebounds came on the offensive end of the court.
• Whittington concluded the contest shooting 5-of-10 from the field and Cunningham dished out a team-high three assists.
• Hall was one of three Crimson Tide to have at least 10 points along with Key (10) and Corban Collins (10).
• Bola Olaniyan had a game-high 10 rebounds while Key dished out five assists to lead all players.
• Upstate finished the game shooting 34.4 percent (21-of-61) as a team.

• The Spartans begin a three-game homestand on Sunday, Dec. 18 at 3 p.m. against Jacksonville State.