Bama Wins Another Close One

Ronald Steele drove the length of the court for a layup with six-point-seven seconds left to give Number 18 Alabama an 80-to-79 victory over Mississippi State tonight. Ben Hansbrough hit the second of two free throws with 14 seconds to play to give the Bulldogs a 79-to-78 lead. Steele took the inbounds pass, took the ball across midcourt, then accelerated past Jamont Gordon for the winning basket. The Crimson Tide (18-and-5, 4-and-5 Southeastern Conference) trailed 77-to-72 after Charles Rhodes' basket with one-24 left. Then, Mykal Riley hit a three-pointer for Alabama and Rhodes made 1-of-2 free throws with 37 seconds to play for a 78-to-75 lead. Riley answered again, hitting a three-pointer from the right corner 20 seconds later. Both teams called their final timeouts after that. Hansbrough drew a foul from Brandon Hollinger before crossing midcourt for the Bulldogs (12-and-10, 3-and-6), who have lost four of five games.