Tide basketball stumbles in tourney opener

By Ken Rogers

Published: November 25, 2008

Oregon shook off a slow start and rushed past Alabama 92-69 in the first round of the EA Sports Maui Invitational late Monday night at the Lahaina Civic Center on the island of Maui.
Alabama led 8-0 and 17-11 after Senario Hillman made a 3-pointer with 11:43 left in the first half. However, freshman JaMychal Green picked up his second foul in the early going and spent much of the first half on the bench. The Ducks surged both inside and outside. Michael Dunigan led Oregon with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Joevan Catron scored 17 points and grabbed 13 boards for the Ducks (3-1).
Hillman led Alabama (1-2) with a career-high 16 points. Point guard Ronald Steele added 13.
The Crimson Tide plays host Chaminade today at 3 p.m. CST on ESPN2. Chaminade fell to North Carolina 115-70 Monday night.