Alabama
South Alabama holds off Troy 64-63, stays in first place in Sun Belt Conference
Barry Dunning had one of those “kid shooting baskets in his backyard” moments on Saturday, and he did it for his hometown team against its biggest rival.
Dunning sank two free throws with 1.9 seconds remaining to give South Alabama a 64-63 victory over Troy in front a of season-best crowd of 5,148 at the Mitchell Center, keeping the Jaguars (15-5, 6-1 Sun Belt Conference) alone in first place. Dunning, Alabama’s Mr. Basketball at Mobile’s McGill-Toolen Catholic School in 2022, then got a hand on the Trojans’ inbounds pass to keep them from getting off a clean shot at the buzzer.
Dunning said he was thinking of his father, Barry Sr., when he went to the free-throw line in the final seconds.
“It just goes back to when I was a little kid,” Dunning said. “We shoot free throws every day after practice, but I gave my dad a game ball because he used to take me to the YMCA downtown, and we would just shoot free throws.
“A lot of my game comes from my Pop’s foundation, so I had to give him the game ball. I just remember the times at the YMCA, ‘It’s just you and the rim, son,’ just making free throws. I got his name, so that was us making that free throw together.”
That Dunning even had to be the hero at the end was a bit of a surprise, as the Jaguars led by 20 at halftime and by 10 with 4:31 to play. But Troy (11-7, 4-3) ramped up its defense in the second half, forcing 14 South Alabama turnovers — six straight at one stretch.
The Trojans got within one on Tayton Conerway’s 3-pointer with 1:20 left, then took their first lead since the first four minutes of the game at 63-62 when Jackson Fields hit both ends of a 1-and-1 with 11.6 seconds remaining. Myles Corey’s driving layup for South Alabama missed and the ball went out of bounds off Troy with 2.9 seconds left, allowing the Jaguars to set up their final play.
Corey lobbed the ball in to Dunning, who got off a shot just as he was fouled by Troy’s Thomas Dowd. After Dunning made the free throws to put the Jaguars up one and then tipped the throw-in, the Trojans’ Myles Rigsby got to the loose ball and put up a half-court 3-pointer that missed badly at the buzzer.
“What a moment,” Riley said of Dunning. “He’ll remember that for the rest of his life. I gave him a big hug in the locker room. I said, ‘That’s why you came back home, man, for moments like that, to get to do that.’
“…It couldn’t have had a more special ending. I wish it wouldn’t have come down to that. I wish we would have cruised like we should have.”
South Alabama forward Barry Dunning Jr. scored 14 points and had eight rebounds in a 64-63 win over Troy on Saturday at the Mitchell Center. His two free throws with 1.9 seconds left gave the Jaguars the victory. (Mike Kittrell/AL.com)
Mike Kittrell/AL.com
Dunning led the Jaguars with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Judah Brown added 12 points — all in the first half — and Randy Brady chipped in 11 points with six boards. JJ Wheat scored 10, while John Broom had nine points, five rebounds and three blocks.
Conerway was the only Troy player in double-figures scoring, but took over the game in the second half. The senior guard finished with 23 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals despite sitting out a large chunk of the first half due to foul trouble.
“Our defensive intensity was better in the second half,” Troy coach Scott Cross said. “Because we were able to get some easier baskets, things opened up for us. Our guys got a little bit more confident. … It was just a momentum swing. And we had the momentum in the second half.
“They crushed us in the first half. Unfortunately, we didn’t show up and play the way we needed to in the first half. And they were lights out from the 3-point line.”
Despite its offensive and ball-handling woes in the second half, South Alabama’s Sun Belt-best defense didn’t take the day off. The Jaguars limited the Trojans to 35.1% shooting overall and 29% (9-for-31) from 3-point range and held them well below their season average of 74.1 points per game.
Troy went the final 8:25 of the first half without a field goal, making just two free throws during that stretch. Sparked by runs of 13-0 and 12-0, the Jaguars led 42-22 at halftime.
“Our defense held steady enough for us to be able to win,” Riley said. “You have games like this. There’s a lot of games where you don’t play your best for a half, sometimes the whole game.
“Those are the ones if you want to have a chance at the end of the year, you’ve got to find a way to some of those. Today we did that. Obviously we didn’t have our best stuff, but we found a way to gut it out and win it. We’ll take it. We certainly ain’t giving the win back.”
South Alabama is now 7-0 vs. the Trojans in Mobile under Riley, and continues its best start to Sun Belt play since the 2007-08 season. That happens to be the most-recent time the Jaguars reached the NCAA tournament.
Saturday also marked the first time the Jaguars have won a game decided by a single possession since Dec. 8, when they beat Jacksonville State 76-74. They were in a similar spot a week ago, but lost 71-63 in overtime to Old Dominion.
“Man, that was super exciting,” Brady said. “We started off good in the first half, kind of sloppy in the second half, but we pulled it off. A win is a win.”
South Alabama hits the road to face Louisiana-Monroe at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Troy is back home to face Southern Miss at 6 p.m. Thursday.
Alabama
Alabama NAACP Releases 2026 Selma Jubilee Weekend Schedule
The Alabama State Conference of the NAACP has announced its official schedule for the 2026 NAACP-sponsored Selma Jubilee Bridge Crossing Weekend, set for March 6–8 in Montgomery and Selma.
Held under the theme “A Time for Standing,” the annual commemoration honors the Foot Soldiers of the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery marches and recognizes the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis and Rev. Jesse Jackson for their roles in advancing civil rights and voting access.
The three-day event will bring together national, state and local leaders, along with youth and college chapters, faith partners and community members for activities focused on reflection, education and civic engagement.
Scheduled events include a civic discussion titled “The New Civic Path” on March 6 at the Montgomery Interpretive Center at Alabama State University, followed by a Jubilee Gala that evening at Embassy Suites in Montgomery. On March 7, the Birmingham Metro Branch will host a bus trip to Selma, while a statewide civic engagement training will take place in Montgomery.
SEE ALSO: Bridge Crossing Jubilee to honor Rev. Jesse Jackson’s legacy in Selma
SEE ALSO: 16th Street Baptist Church: Keeping a Legacy Alive 63 Years Later
On March 8, participants will take part in the Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee Parade, voter activation efforts, worship services at Brown Chapel AME Church and Tabernacle Baptist Church, and the traditional bridge crossing at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
Organizers say the weekend will emphasize continued civic participation and community engagement across Alabama.
—–
March 6 — Alabama NAACP Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee Gala 5:30PM Embassy Suites by Hilton, 300 Tallapoosa St, Montgomery, AL 36104
March 7 — NAACP Birmingham Metro Branch Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee Bus Trip 8AM–5PM Broad Street and Water Avenue in Selma Alabama
March 7 — Alabama State NAACP Statewide Civic Engagement Training 8–4:15PM Homewood Suites, 7800 EastChase Pkwy, Montgomery, AL 36117
March 8 — Alabama State NAACP in the Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee Parade 8AM–10AM Begins at 1722 Broad St and concludes at the National Voting Rights Museum
March 8 — Alabama NAACP Statewide Bridge Crossing Jubilee Bus Trip 8AM–5PM Alabama State University, Untenese and Mobile Branch and University of Alabama, Oakwood University, Broad Street and Water Avenue, Selma
March 8 — Alabama NAACP Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee Participation in Worship Services 10AM–2PM Brown Chapel AME Church and Tabernacle Baptist Church, Selma
March 8 — Alabama NAACP Youth and College Civic Engagement Voter Activation 8AM–2PM Broad Street and Water Ave, Selma
March 8 — Alabama NAACP Statewide Bridge Crossing 11:15PM – Line up Alabama NAACP Tent on Waters Ave or at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, Selma
Alabama
3 Alabama players who helped their draft stock at 2026 NFL combine
Each player had a pivotal role on the Crimson Tide in 2025.
Alabama had a multitude of former players who performed at an elite level at the NFL combine this past weekend.
Former Alabama star quarterback Ty Simpson was among those who put his talents on full display in Indianapolis, as Simpson continues to emerge as a top quarterback prospect available in April’s draft.
Numerous Crimson Tide stars on both sides of the football were able to have an excellent showing at the combine as well, with each playmaker a vital component to the Tide’s success in 2025.
Here are three Alabama players who helped their draft stock rise at the NFL combine.
Ty Simpson, Quarterback
Simpson is widely regarded as the best quarterback prospect available outside of Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza. The talented redshirt junior put on an absolute show at the NFL combine, as Simpson delivered multiple perfect throws and put his talents on full display throughout Saturday’s events.
The former Alabama star is a candidate to potentially shine day one in his campaign in the NFL, as Simpson’s draft stock continues to rise prior to April.
Jam Miller, Running Back
Miller is an extremely fast and athletic running back, despite struggling in the Tide’s backfield last season. The star running back recorded an impressive 4.43u 40-yard dash time, as Miller could very easily shine in the NFL next season with consistent playing time.
Miller was nothing short of elite throughout his entire performance at the combine in Indianapolis, as the former Tide running back continues to rise in a multitude of draft rankings around the football world.
Kadyn Proctor, Offensive Tackle
Proctor played a crucial role on Alabama’s offensive line last season. The star lineman reportedly slimmed down prior to the NFL combine, as Proctor displayed elite speed and athleticism throughout Sunday’s combine in Indianapolis.
Proctor is widely expected to be a mid-to-late first round selection in April, as the talented lineman’s efforts during the combine could quickly begin to work in Proctor’s favor during next month’s draft.
The 2026 NFL draft will take place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania starting on April 23, as each Crimson Tide star will look to shine throughout their rookie campaign in the NFL.
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Alabama
Husband, 19, fatally shot wife, 24, himself at Alabama hospital moments after welcoming their first child
A husband fatally shot his wife before turning the gun on himself at an Alabama hospital just moments after they welcomed their first child on Sunday.
Kynath Terry Jr., 19, gunned down 24-year-old Precious Johnson before fatally shooting himself inside the Baptist Health Brookwood Hospital around 9:30 p.m. Sunday night, WTVM 13 reported.
Johnson delivered a healthy baby just before she was murdered. It’s not immediately clear if the baby was present during the shooting, but police said that Terry and Johnson were the only ones injured.
Terry’s mother told the outlet that the couple were having some marital issues leading up to Johnson’s due date, but nothing that made her fear her son would become violent.
She told the outlet that Terry completed Army National Guard training before tying the knot with Johnson.
She noted that Johnson didn’t want Terry’s side of the family at the hospital for her child’s birth, but it’s unclear if anyone from the mother-to-be’s own family was there.
The hospital was plunged into a lockdown “out of an abundance of caution” while police investigated reports of a shooting. It wasn’t lifted until hours later when they determined there was “no active threat to patients, team members or the public,” the outlet reported.
The Homewood Police Department described the tragedy as “an apparent murder-suicide and is domestic in nature.”
Danne Howard, the president of the Alabama Hospital Association, told the outlet that the chilling attack “was an isolated incident” unlike anything she’d encountered during her three decades working in the state.
Howard said, in the wake of the tragedy, the Baptist Health Brookwood Hospital would undergo a security overhaul implementing “lessons learned” from a mandated after-action report.
Just three months ago, in a town six miles outside of Homewood, a beloved sports reporter was fatally shot by her husband before taking his own life. Their 3-year-old son, who was unharmed, led his grandfather to his parents’ bodies.
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