Alabama upset No. 20 Wichita State 64-60

One big win for Avery Johnson and Alabama.

The plan apparently worked because Alabama looked sharp throughout the stunning 64-60 win against No. 20-ranked Wichita State in the consolation round.

The game was delayed with 3:07 left in the second half when Wichita State forward Anton Grady fell face-first on the court. Once stabilized, Grady was loaded onto a stretcher and taken via ambulance to a nearby trauma center for evaluation.

Following the game, Wichita State Coach Gregg Marshall said Grady, who was walking at the hospital with assistance, would fly home with the team.

He was described as alert, responsive and in overall good spirits and had feeling in his extremities.

“I have a lot of work to do to get back on the court, but with the help of such a great support system, I’m ready for the challenge”, Grady said. A CT scan on Grady came back negative, and he had an MRI later Friday. The Valley is better than we probably realized (more on that in a second), but it’s not like there are going to be a myriad of top 50 wins for the taking.

The Aggies (4-1) endured their first setback under first-year coach Tim Duryea. “They gave me the ball and gave me the confidence”. He appeared to hit his head on Alabama guard Dazon Ingram’s shoulder before falling to the floor. He twisted his ankle in the season opener November 13 against Charleston Southern and then was limited by hamstring soreness four days later in a game with Tulsa. “We played two really good teams right to the wire”. His 36 minutes against the Hawkeyes were three fewer than he played against USC and Alabama and all three teams hounded and pounded him relentlessly. Hale then hit 1-of-2 free throws and, after a defensive stop, Norris sealed the game with a pair of makes from the charity stripe to give his team the victory.

USC responded and went up ahead by seven, 61-54, with seven minutes left on three-pointers by Boatwright and Elijah Stewart.

Micah Seaborn added 20 points, and Deon Jones had 14 points and 10 rebounds for Monmouth (4-2).

ABOUT WICHITA STATE (2-3): School officials announced tests for spinal cord injury were negative and Grady is expected to regain motor function and strength with time. USC leads the all-time series with Dayton 2-0 with overtime wins in the 2013 and 2014 seasons. The Shockers outrebounded the Tide 23-12 with an 11-1 edge on offensive glass in the first half, but the teams stayed close with Wichita State only able to build a six-point lead, 24-18, late in the opening half.

Jimmie Taylor made one of two free throws just before the end of the half to send Alabama into the locker room with a 32-30 advantage.

The Shockers leave Florida 0-3 and own one victory this season over an NCAA Division I opponent. That comes on the heels of 35-percent shooting in a first-round, 72-69 loss to USC on Thursday.