HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The No. 16/16 Alabama men’s basketball team held a double-digit lead for 31:26 in a 92-81 win over the Kennesaw State Owls inside Propst Arena at the Von Braun Center in the 2025 Rocket City Classic. 

 

With the win, head coach Nate Oats won his 250^th career game, having 96 wins with Buffalo (2015-2019) and 154 with Alabama (2019-present).
 

Alabama (9-3) was led by Aiden Sherrell’s career-high 21 points off 8-for-10 shooting from the floor, to go along with seven rebounds. The Tide had three others in double figures, including Labaron Philon Jr. (17 points), Aden Holloway (17 points) and Jalil Bethea (11 points).

 

Kennesaw State (8-4) was led by Simeon Cottle’s 20 points off 6-for-15 shooting from the field, including four three-pointers.

 

Head Coach Nate Oats Postgame Comments 

“We came out and kind of got punched in the mouth. We got up early and they just kept on playing hard from there. That’s a tribute to the culture that Antoine [Pettway] has built over there. They didn’t quit. I’m a little disappointed in our effort in playing with the lead. We got outrebounded again which has been an issue, so we still have a lot of work to do, but I think our intentions for the game were great. We had some good defensive stops, but we just haven’t been able to maintain it for 40 minutes. Individually, I thought some guys had good performances though. Aiden Sherrell had his career-high to go along with a couple blocks. I thought our guards did a good job with dishing out 17 assists and only eight turnovers, so there’s definitely some positives. Defensive intensity, focus, attention to detail on the defensive end wasn’t there in the second half, so we have to start playing better on that end of the floor.”

 

 

Team Stats 

• The contest marks Alabama’s third trip to Huntsville in Oats’ tenure and the second regular season matchup, in which the Tide have won both (W, 92-72 vs. Belmont, Dec. 21, 2019)
• Alabama led the entirety of the contest, with its biggest lead being 30 points, coming in the second half with 17:45 left to go
• The Tide were outrebounded by the Owls 46-41 with 15 Kennesaw State rebounds coming on the offensive glass
• Alabama had nine different scorers in the game, with five of them scoring at least six points and grabbing at least two rebounds
• Nate Oats’ squad shot 32-for-73 (44 percent) from the field, 10-for-31 (32 percent) from three and 18-for-23 (78 percent) from the charity stripe
• The Owls were led by head coach Antoine Pettway who played for Alabama from 2000-2004 and was an assistant coach for the Crimson Tide from 2008-2023 
  
   

First Half  

• After opening the game shooting 4-for-15 from the field, Alabama quickly caught fire by shooting 11 for its next 15 attempts from the floor to take a 39-17 lead with 5:18 left in the opening stanza
• The Crimson Tide defensive effort caused the Owls to shoot just 3-for-20 from the field through the first 12:14 of play
• Alabama stayed on the gas offensively down the stretch as well, closing the last 4:42 of the period on a 15-9 run to enter the break with a 54-28 lead
• The Tide’s 54-point scoring output in the first half was its second highest mark in a first half this season
• Aiden Sherrell tallied a career-high 15 points in the first half alone, shooting 6-for-7 from the field to go along with four rebounds to lead the team in scoring at halftime
• Alabama led the entirety of the first half with its biggest lead being 27 points, following a three-pointer by Aden Holloway with 3:07 to go
• Nate Oats’ squad forced eight turnovers from the Owls in the frame, while only surrendering two itself
• The Tide shot 19-for-39 (49 percent) from the floor and 7-for-18 (39 percent) from three compared Kennesaw State’s 10-for-34 (29 percent) shooting from the field and 2-for-12 (17 percent) from beyond the arc

 

Second Half  

• Kennesaw State got off to a hot start to open the second half, shooting 11-for-18 from the field and outscoring Alabama 25-20 through the first 10 minutes of play
• Both squads continued to trade baskets down the stretch, as the Tide held its 20-point lead, 80-60, with 6:06 left in the half
• Alabama maintained its double-digit lead all the way to the final buzzer to secure the victory
• The Tide had seven different scorers in the second half, with four of them scoring six or more points
• Aden Holloway led the scoring effort for Alabama in the closing stanza with eight points, including shooting a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line
• The Tide struggled to hit shots in the second half, shooting 13-for-34 (38 percent) from the floor and 3-for-13 (23 percent) from three

 

Up Next

• Alabama wraps up its non-conference slate against the Yale Bulldogs on Monday, Dec. 29
• Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. CT inside Coleman Coliseum and can be seen on SEC Network+

 

INDIANAPOLIS – Kevin Overton scored a game-high 22 points to lead No. 21 Auburn but high-powered No. 6 Purdue displayed its offensive wizardry to beat the Tigers 88-60 Saturday in the Indy Classic at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

 

“Our guys battled, our effort was there,” Auburn coach Steven Pearl said. “We needed some more step-up from a few guys. (Overton) stepped up, took some really hard coaching this week and he responded. He flew around, played really hard. That’s a really good team in a tough environment. For us to be competitive in these games we’ve got to make shots and we didn’t do that tonight.”

 

Overton made 4-of-11 3-point attempts and led Auburn with five rebounds. 

 

 “We’re young,” Overton said. “We’re learning how to be in these games, how to compete on a consistent level. We took strides, especially defensively, our approach in practice. All of those things are coming together. We’ve got to stay with it.”

 

Keyshawn Hall also reached double figures for Auburn, scoring 14 points. 

 

Trey Kaufman-Renn paced five Boilermakers in double figures with 18 points on 9-for-13 shooting. 

 

The bigger Boilermakers outscored Auburn 40-20 in the paint and enjoyed a 14-4 advantage in points off turnovers despite committing one more (11-10) than Auburn.  

 

Auburn grabbed two more offensive rebounds than Purdue (11-9) but the Boilermakers were more opportunistic with their second chances, outscoring the Tigers 15-5 in that category.

 

After Hall hit an early 3-pointer, KeShawn Murphy made a pair of jumpers to give Auburn a one-point lead, but the Tigers led for only one minute and 13 seconds before C.J. Cox made back-to-back 3-pointers to put Purdue in front to stay.

 

Trailing by 14 at the half, Auburn would get no closer in the second half. The Tigers went cold down the stretch during an 11-0 run that put the Boilermakers ahead by 29.

 

Purdue made its final five shots of the game while the Tigers missed 10 of their last 11. The Boilermakers outrebounded Auburn 36-25.

 

All-American point guard Braden Smith had a season-high 14 assists for Purdue (11-1).

The Tigers held Purdue sharpshooter Fletcher Loyer, a 46.4-percent 3-point shooter, to 0-for-7 from deep, but the rest of the Boilermakers made up for it by combining to make 12-of-19 3-point attempts, a 63.1-percent clip. 

 

“We’ve played seven games against high-major opponents,” Pearl said. “We go 3-4 in those games. We’ve played 12 games so far, we’ve played seven games away from home in neutrals or road environments. There aren’t 10 teams who have a better record than us with the schedule we’ve played. Maybe five, in my opinion, based on what I’ve seen in the landscape.”

 

Auburn (8-4) returns to Neville Arena on Monday, Dec. 29, for its nonconference finale, hosting Queens at 9 p.m. CT.

 

“Our guys haven’t lost confidence. They’re still bought in to what we do, which is really important,” said Pearl, whose team’s four losses are to top 10 opponents in No. 1 Arizona, No. 2 Michigan, No. 6 Purdue and No. 8 Arizona. “We may not play four better teams the rest of the year and the SEC’s really good this year. We’ve played four Final Four teams so far. We’ve got to be more competitive in these games. We can’t get blown out like this. 

 

“We’re battled tested. I think we have a top 25 resume based on what we’ve already done. As long as we continue to get better like we did last week, we’ll be fine.”

 

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer

 

UAH women's basketball continued its dominant stretch through Gulf South Conference play Thursday night, defeating Mississippi College 89–66 to extend its winning streak to eight games and improve to 5–0 in conference action.

UAH placed four Chargers in double figures, led by a trio of season-best performances. Freshman Ava McSwainscored a season-high 18 points, Paris Opelt added a season-high 17, and Mia Hollingsworth came off the bench to contribute a season-high 15 points. Bella White rounded out the double-digit scorers with 14 points.

The Chargers' offensive output marked the fifth time this season UAH has scored 80 or more points, continuing a trend of efficient scoring throughout conference play.

Thursday's victory also continued UAH's recent success against the Choctaws, as the Chargers have now won three straight meetings in the series and five of the last six overall. The two teams will meet again on Saturday, Feb. 7, at 2 p.m., inside SportsMED Arena at Spragins Hall.

UAH's road trip continues Saturday afternoon, when the Chargers travel to Cleveland, Miss., to face Delta State at 2 p.m. The Chargers have won five of their last six meetings with the Statesmen.

CLINTON, Miss. | The UAH men's basketball team went on the road on Thursday evening in a Gulf South Conference contest against Mississippi College and defeated the Choctaws 72-68 in A.E. Wood Coliseum on the campus of MC. 

The Chargers improved to 8-3 (3-2 GSC) with the win, while the Choctaws dropped to 6-5 (3-2 GSC). 

Quentin Toles led UAH with 24 points as he shot 5-of-11 from the field and 2-of-5 from three with a 12-for-14 performance from the free throw line and eight rebounds. Thomas Allard and Matt Thurman each had 13 points apiece with Thurman hauling in eight boards. 

Overall, the Chargers shot 46.8 percent from the field and went 21-of-28 from the free throw line. 

UAH overcame a 35-32 deficit at halftime by outscoring Mississippi College 40-33 in the second half.

Next up for the Chargers is a matchup with Delta State in Cleveland, Mississippi on Saturday at 4 p.m.

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor was named a First Team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), the organization announced Thursday.

 

The distinction becomes Proctor’s fifth All-American honor, including his third first team placement to solidify his status as a consensus All-American. The Iowa product also garnered first team accolades from the Walter Camp Football Foundation and the America Football Coaches Association (AFCA) while picking up second team honors from the Associated Press and The Sporting News.

 

Kadyn Proctor

Left Tackle, Junior

• A trusted protector who is an anchor on Alabama’s offensive line, having started all 13 games at left tackle
• An impactful player who was a key cog in the Crimson Tide securing the No. 9 seed in the 2025 College Football Playoff 
• Helped the Tide offense average 389.4 yards per game and 31.2 points per game
• Owns an 84.3 overall grade according to Pro Football Focus, the second-highest overall grade among SEC offensive tackles
• Recorded 883 total snaps at left tackle for the season, having allowed just one sack in 534 pass blocking snaps on the season 
• Has not surrendered a sack in 12 consecutive games since the Florida State contest
• Has also been utilized as a ball carrier, turning five carries into 16 rushing yards and three first downs  

 

BIRMINGHAM – Mars Hill Bible School entered the fourth quarter of Thursday’s Class 3A championship game against Bayside Academy at Protective Stadium in an unfamiliar position – locked in a tight game.

   The Panthers (15-0) entered the game having scored at least 41 points in its 14 wins and won them all by at least 24 points. When Bayside Academy’s Davis Barnett threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Walker Collins in the final minute of the third quarter, it cut Mars Hill’s lead to 17-14 and put the Panthers in a situation they hadn’t faced this season.

    “That’s why you put in all that work (in the offseason),” Mars Hill coach Darrell Higgins said. “When it happened, we were ready for it.”
    Mars Hill responded with three fourth-quarter touchdown drives and pulled away for a 38-21 victory. The win pushed the Panthers’ current winning streak to a 20 in a row and secured a second straight Class 3A championship.
    Higgins has now led Mars Hill to four state titles, winning Class 1A in 2018, Class 2A in 2020 and Class 3A in 2024 and 2025. The Panthers won all four title games by double digits. The loss ended a 13-game winning streak for Bayside (13-2).
    Mars Hill rolled up 398 yards rushing against Bayside, coached by Barrett Trotter. Penn ran 25 times for 205 yards and three touchdowns. To earn Class 3A state championship game MVP. Penn’s 89-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter essentially ended Bayside’s comeback bid, and he added TD runs of 2 and 3 yards.
     Hudson Higgins – the head coach’s son – added 22 carries for 195 yards and touchdown runs of 34 yards in the first half and 4 yards in the game’s final minute.
    “They’ve got great players and an efficient offense,” Trotter said. “They run the wing-T as good as anybody I’ve seen.”
    Mars Hill jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first half, using an 11-play, 99-yard drive to score the game’s first TD on Penn’s 2-yard run. Higgins then delivered his  34-yard TD run with 2:49 to go before halftime. Bayside answered with a quick six-play, 60-yard drive that ended with Noah Cain’s 1-yard run with 48 seconds to go before halftime.
     Mars Hill led 14-6 at halftime, and kicker Carson Longshore kicked a 26-yard field goal to make it 17-6 with 3:55 to go in the third quarter. Bayside then drove 62 yards in eight plays, and Barnett’s TD pass to Collins and 2-point run by Billy Neill made it 17-14.
     Mars Hill then took control. Penn capped a six-play 65-yard drive with a 3-yard scoring run to make it 24-14. After a Bayside punt rolled dead at the Panthers 9, Penn raced 89 yards for the game-clinching TD.
    “I was looking up at the jumbotron to make sure no one was going to catch me,” said Penn, who added seven tackles on defense.
    Barnett finished 22-of-37 passing for 283 yards and a touchdown. Monroe Partin caught seven passes for 84 yards. Cain had two catches for 57 yards and also scored on a 1-yard run. Neill led the Bayside defense with 9½ tackles.
   The 2025 Super 7 continues Thursday with championship games in Class 1A, and 5A on Thursday, followed by titles games in Classes 2A, 4A, and 6A on Friday.
   All games are being televised by the AHSAA TV Network to every home in the state over the Alabama Public Television network and is being live video streamed over the NFHS Network subscriber-based platform. WOTM TV’s Vince Earley is the executive producer.
   Thursday’s slate includes Maplesville (14-0) and defending champion Wadley (13-0) in the 1A final for the second straight year. Moody (12-2) and Vigor (12-2) cap Thursday’s action in the Class 5A finals at 7 p.m.  
   Friday’s championships begin at 11 a.m., with the Class 4A finals between defending champion Jackson (12-2) and Anniston (14-0). Coosa Christian (12-2) plays Lanett (12-2) in the 2A finals at 3 p.m. Saraland (13-0) and Clay-Chalkville (14-0) close out the week at 7 p.m. in the much-anticipated Class 6A final.

AHSAA 2025 SUPER 7 STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Protective Stadium, Birmingham
THURSDAY, DEC. 4         
Class 3A Boys’ Championship
Mars Hill Bible (15-0) 38, Bayside Academy (13-2) 21
Class 1A Boys’ Championship
Maplesville (14-0) vs. Wadley (13-0), Thurs., Dec. 4, 3 p.m.
CLASS 5A Boys’ Championship
Vigor (12-2) vs. Moody 12-2), Thurs., Dec. 4, 7 p.m.

AHSAA 2025 SUPER 7 STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
FRIDAY, DEC. 5   
Class 4A Boys’ Championship
Jackson (12-2) vs. Anniston (14-0), Fri., Dec. 5, 11 a.m.
Class 2A Boys’ Championship
Lanett (12-2) vs. Coosa Christian (12-2), Fri., Dec. 5, 3 p.m.
CLASS 6A
Saraland (13-0) vs. Clay-Chalkville (14-0), Fri., Dec. 5, 7 p.m.

 

AHSAA 2025 SUPER 7 STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 3 
Class 1A/5A Girls’ Flag Championship
Moody (22-3) 27, Montgomery Catholic (21-5) 18
Class 6A/7A Girls’ Flag Championship
Central-Phenix City (20-0) 46, Vestavia Hills (28-2) 7
CLASS 7A Boys’ Championship
Thompson (11-3) 48, Opelika (10-4) 10