TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A second-half collapse washed away a strong start for Alabama basketball as it lost 83-80 to Georgia State on a buzzer-beating 3 at the end of regulation.
After leading by as many as 22 points early in the second half, the Crimson Tide’s fumbled away what seemed like an easy victory. After Dazon Ingram tied the game at 80 with 25.5 seconds remaining, Georgia State held the ball for the final shot. The Panthers (6-3) were able to find a wide-open Malik Benlevi at the top of the arc. The 6-foot-6 senior drained the shot as the horn sounded to hand the Crimson Tide (5-3) its most painful loss of the season.
Alabama started the game hot, making 59 percent in the first half to build a 52-31 lead at the break. The Crimson Tide came back ice cold after intermission, hitting 29 percent of its shots and 57 percent of its free throws in the second half. After Mack made a layup to give the Crimson Tide a 60-39 lead with 15:32 remaining, Alabama would not make another field goal one the next nine minutes, allowing Georgia State go on a 21-9 run over that span.
The Panthers tied the game at 78 with 1:35 remaining before taking an 80-78 lead on a layup from D’Marcus Simonds with 43 seconds to play. Alabama ended the game by making just one of its last six shots and three of its final eight free-throw attempts.
Kira Lewis Jr. led the Crimson Tide with 19 points, including a career-high five 3s. Dazon Ingram also had a big night, chipping in 17 points and eight rebounds off the bench. Donta Hall recorded his third double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
After using the same starting lineup for six straight games, head coach Avery Johnson handed Tevin Mack his first start in an Alabama uniform. Mack, who sat out last season after transferring from Texas, made the most of his opportunity, scoring 12 points on 5 of 9 shooting. Tuesday also saw the season debut of Riley Norris, who had missed Alabama’s previous seven games after undergoing a heart procedure in early November. Norris scored 4 points over eight minutes.
Georgia State moved to 2-0 over the SEC this season. The Panthers beat Georgia 91-67 earlier this year.
Up next
Alabama will remain at home as it hosts Arizona (6-2) on Sunday at noon CT on ESPN. The game will be the second leg of a home-and-home series as the Wildcats beat the Crimson Tide 88-82 in Tucson, Ariz., last season. Arizona features 6-foot-10 Duke transfer Chase Jeter (12.6 ppg, 7.5 rpg) as well as 6-foot-6 guard Brandon Randolph (17.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg). Arizona finished 27-8 last season, winning the Pac-12 before losing to Buffalo in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Following the game against Arizona, Alabama travels to Huntsville, Ala., to take on Liberty in the Rocket City Classic.
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