Petty’s 39 points leads Alabama past Samford 105-87

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — John Petty made 10 3-pointers and scored a career-high 39 points in Alabama’s 105-87 victory over Samford on Wednesday night at Legacy Arena.

Petty missed only two of his 12 3-point attempts and the Crimson Tide (5-5) raced to a 25-point lead late in the first half.

His previous career best was 34 points against Iowa State just over a year ago. Petty also had 10 rebounds against the Bulldogs (6-7).

Alex Reese had 16 points and made four 3s for the Tide, while Jaden Shackelford scored 13 and Kira Lewis Jr. added 11.

Josh Sharkey had 16 points and 15 assists for Samford, which is located about an hour from Tuscaloosa and not far from the downtown arena. Sharkey came in ranked second nationally with 9.1 assists per game.

Brandon Austin, a onetime Alabama signee, scored 18 points against his former team. Robert Allen had 17 points and 10 rebounds and Jalen Dupree scored 16.

The Tide had blown a nine-point lead down the stretch in its last game, a 73-71 loss to Penn State. This time, Samford only managed to make it competitive after trailing 57-37 at halftime.

Robert Allen’s 3-pointer cut Alabama’s lead to 83-77 in the final 10 minutes. The Bulldogs couldn’t get any closer, though.

BIG PICTURE

Alabama: Leads the series 30-3. Scored the game’s first 13 points and made its initial six 3-point attempts. Went 17 of 34 from 3-point range.

Samford: Played two days after returning from a 94-73 loss at Hawaii and got off to a terrible start.

UP NEXT

Alabama plays Belmont Saturday in Huntsville, Alabama.

Samford visits Georgetown on Saturday.

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