Cornell surprises Alabama

Ryan Wittman and Cornell had the edge in experience, savvy and poise while Anthony Grant's first Alabama team is still working out the kinks.

Wittman scored 23 points and was 5-for-8 from 3-point range to help the Big Red beat the Crimson Tide 71-67 on Saturday to earn a rare win over a SEC team - spoiling Grant's Alabama debut in the process.

"Honestly, I think we caught them at a good time, while Coach Grant is still trying to get his stuff in," Cornell coach Steve Donahue said. "Still, it's great to come in and get a win on the road against an SEC opponent like Alabama. I think they'll be pretty good come January."

Cornell (1-0) opened the second half with nine straight points, building a 35-20 lead on back-to-back 3-pointers by Chris Wroblewski and Wittman.

Grant turned up his full-court press to help the Tide whittle the margin down to 53-52 on Torrance's two free throws with 6:16 left.

But two-time defending Ivy League Conference champion Cornell, which returns all five starters and has four senior starters, answered with a 3-pointer by Birmingham native Louis Dale and never gave up the lead.

Grant, meanwhile, is trying to import his fast-paced tempo to a team that could never become a strong pressing team under predecessor Mark Gottfried. He wasn't particularly pleased with the beginning.

"If we defend and rebound like we're capable of, I think we win the game," Grant said. "They're a very, very talented offensive team and they cause problems in terms of extending your defense. The press hurt them late but it hurt us early with them being able to get some conversions. You make a mistake, they make you pay for it every single time."

His debut drew a relatively sparse crowd listed at 10,135 fans though the 15,000-seat arena appeared barely half full. The Tide's third-ranked football team was playing 90 minutes away Saturday night at Mississippi State.

It was the Big Red's first win over a team currently playing in the SEC since beating Arkansas in the 1972-73 season.

JaMychal Green led the Tide with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Mikhail Torrance got 14 of his 16 points in the second half.

Augustus Blasts Coach: Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury's decisions in a 88-74 loss to Rider on Friday drew criticism from forward Kodi Augustus.

Augustus, who is expected to be a big factor for Mississippi State after repairing a fractious relationship with his coach last year, played just 15 minutes.

"I talked to my dad," Augustus said. "He said we got outcoached. I don't know. But I looked at it, I only played 15 minutes the whole game. Yeah, I'm (upset), but like I said, I can't do nothing about it. I played all those minutes the exhibition games and then you come and play me 15 minutes? Wow!"

Zone For Clarke: Rotnei Clarke set a SEC record with 13 3-pointers, part of a scintillating 51-point performance in Arkansas' 130-68 win over Alcorn State on Friday night.

"I just felt like every time I shot it it was going in," Clarke said. "I guess it was just one of those zones."

Clarke made nine of his 3-pointers in the first half as the Razorbacks (1-0) built a 71-26 lead. He broke Martin Terry's school record of 47 points, then eclipsed the SEC mark of 12 3-pointers set by Arkansas' Al Dillard.

"I haven't seen a better shooting performance than that, coaching or playing with anybody," said Arkansas coach John Pelphrey, a former Kentucky player. "It was really, really remarkable."