London Jemison Goes 6 of 7 as No. 20 Alabama Turns 23 Sam Houston Turnovers Into a 96-74 Win
London Jemison scored 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting as No. 20 Alabama beat Sam Houston 96-74 on Tuesday night at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa.
Photo: Alabama Athletics. Official roster headshot of London Jemison, forward, Alabama men's basketball, 2026-27 season.
London Jemison scored 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting as No. 20 Alabama beat Sam Houston 96-74 on Tuesday night at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa. Alabama forced 23 turnovers and scored 33 points off them, per ESPN's box score. Sam Houston committed 23 turnovers and Alabama committed 10.
Jemison made 3 of 4 from 3-point range in 20 minutes, with three rebounds and two steals. He made all four of his first-half shots, two of them 3-pointers, for 10 points before the break, per the Associated Press. Drew Fielder matched him with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting, with four offensive rebounds.
Freshman Tarris Bouie had 13 points and seven rebounds in his college debut. Amari Allen added 12 points and four assists. Qayden Samuels started and finished with nine points, five assists and four steals.
Defense first, then offense
Alabama missed its first seven 3-point attempts, per the AP, and finished 10 of 31 from deep.
"We have never played this poorly on offense and still were able to put up 96 points," Oats said, per Alabama Athletics.
Alabama had 17 steals, its most since Dec. 12, 2020, against Clemson, per Alabama Athletics. It also blocked 10 shots, four of them by Keitenn Bristow. Six Alabama players had at least two steals. Oats credited Brandon Garrison's pressure for driving the turnovers, and Garrison finished with nine points, three steals and two blocks.
Zion Pipkin committed eight of Sam Houston's 23 turnovers, along with six assists and 11 points.
The numbers
Team totals, per ESPN's box score:
| Category | Alabama | Sam Houston | | --- | --- | --- | | Field goals | 36-75 (48.0%) | 25-65 (38.5%) | | 3-pointers | 10-31 | 15-33 | | Free throws | 14-19 | 9-16 | | Rebounds | 42 | 45 | | Turnovers | 10 | 23 | | Points off turnovers | 33 | 13 | | Fast-break points | 41 | 11 | | Points in the paint | 48 | 18 |
The 41 fast-break points are the most of the Oats era, per Alabama Athletics.
Sam Houston shot better from 3 than it did inside the arc. The Bearkats made 15 of 33 3-pointers and 10 of 32 2-pointers, by our count, so 45 of their 74 points came from deep. They also won the rebounding battle 45-42, which Oats called "a little disappointing," per Alabama Athletics.
How the lead grew
Sam Houston went the first four minutes and 35 seconds without a field goal, by our count from the play-by-play. Alabama led 32-18 with five minutes left in the first half and 40-29 at halftime. Jacobe Coleman kept the Bearkats close before the break with 10 of his game-high 16 points.
Alabama opened the second half on a 16-2 run to lead 56-31 at 15:57, per Alabama Athletics. Fielder's layup with 12:40 left made it a 30-point game, per the AP. The lead peaked at 79-47.
Sam Houston never led. Alabama held the lead for 38 minutes and 54 seconds, per Alabama Athletics. Justin Begg scored all 13 of his points after halftime for the Bearkats.
Freshman Jaxon Richardson, the son of former NBA player Jason Richardson, had a first-half windmill dunk for his first college points, per the AP. He added another dunk late.
Who did not play
Aden Holloway did not play while serving a suspension that followed his March arrest on drug charges that were later dismissed, per the AP.
Alabama has now scored 90 or more in four straight season openers, and Oats is 7-1 in openers, per Alabama Athletics.
Alabama entered the season No. 20 in the AP Top 25. It hosts Arkansas State on Friday. Sam Houston hosts Howard Payne on Saturday. The crowd was 11,612.
Sources:
- Alabama Athletics: Men's Basketball Cruises to 96-74 Win Over Sam Houston in Season Opener
- Associated Press: London Jemison, Drew Fielder power No. 20 Alabama to 96-74 win over Sam Houston State
- Sam Houston Athletics: official box score
- ESPN: Sam Houston vs. Alabama box score and play-by-play
- NCAA.com: AP Top 25 men's basketball poll
Related Posts
Six Overseas Pros Made Bleacher Report's New 2027 Mock, and Dash Daniels Was Plus-16 in a 9-Point Loss
Bleacher Report's first 2027 mock of the college season put six players from overseas pro clubs in its top 60, three in the first round. His Nov. 3 board says NIL now fills round 2 with seniors and internationals. Box scores from the week show where his three first-round internationals stand.
Alperen Sengun Is Plus-111 and the 7-1 Rockets Are 6-0 When He Plays
Alperen Sengun had 26 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds as the Rockets beat Boston 109-93 to go 7-1, and Houston is 6-0 and plus-111 with him on the floor.
Gia Cooke Scores a Career-High 28 as No. 24 West Virginia Holds Off Rhode Island 68-64
Gia Cooke scored a career-high 28 points as No. 24 West Virginia beat Rhode Island 68-64 on Tuesday night at Hope Coliseum in Morgantown.