No. 9 Alabama Wins 83-82 Thriller over No. 14 Houston

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Nate Oats said they were trying to put quality games on the schedule for the Alabama basketball fanbase. The fans showed up, and the top-15 matchup inside Coleman Coliseum late Saturday night delivered.

Facing a 2021 Final Four opponent for the second game in a row, No. 9 Alabama (8-1) came away with a win for the second time in a row with the thrilling 83-82 victory over No. 14 Houston (8-2).

"It was the environment we were hoping to get bringing Houston here," Oats said.

The Cougars had 21 offensive rebounds and 23 second chance points, but ultimately it came down to an offensive rebound and second chance basket for the Crimson Tide.

After Houston took a 82-81 lead with 54 seconds left behind a three-pointer from Marcus Sasser, Alabama went down the floor with the chance to take the lead. Jahvon Quinerly drove to the basket, and his shot went off the rim; however, it was cleaned up and slammed home by freshman JD Davison to give Alabama the 83-82 lead.

“I just looked up, and I see him flying," Quinerly said on Davison's game-winning dunk. "That was a huge play. His athleticism is off the charts. That’s really what we expect of him at this point."

That score would hold as Alabama made a defensive stop as time expired to come away with the win. Houston got two shots up, but Davison swatted the second attempt away as the buzzer sounded.

"It was an amazing play, and then he went down and got a huge rebound," Quinerly said.

JD DAVISON ON BOTH SIDES OF THE COURT 😤@AlabamaMBB wins a thriller over No. 14 Houston! pic.twitter.com/h2CZ7bjiXR
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) December 12, 2021

It was an electric atmosphere inside Coleman Coliseum before the game even started, and it lasted until the final buzzer. Tensions ran high throughout the game with Oats picking up another technical foul, and Sasser chasing the referees off the court after time expired.

Sasser and the Cougars' head coach Kelvin Sampson wanted goal tending called on the final play of the game, which would have given Houston the win.

"It was goaltending," Sampson said. "We played good enough to win. The whistle blows, we walk out of here with a great win. Let's not sit here and overanalyze this. Both teams played their hearts out. Our kids deserved to win the game."

Davison was one of four Alabama players to finish in double figures along with Quinerly, Jaden Shackelford and Juwan Gary who led the Crimson Tide with a career high 19 points.

Facing one of the best defensive teams in the country, Gary said he was just playing his game.

"Jahvon, Shack, JD, everbody contributed to me getting my career high," Gary said. "I wouldn’t say it was on me."

With his 19 points and four rebounds, Gary won the hard hat award for the game.

"This was gonna be a tough physical game," Oats said. "Juwan's arguably our most physical toughest player. He's got the body for it. He's a big strong kid, and he answered the bell in a huge way for us."

After Houston held an early 7-4 lead, Alabama controlled the game for most of the first half. Six different times in the first half, the Cougars cut the lead to one point. And every time, Alabama would either respond with a stop on defense or points on offense to never let Houston reclaim the lead.

The Crimson Tide went into halftime with the 44-41 lead with 16 points from Gary.

The second half was a different story. It was a constant back and forth with multiple lead changes. Houston took a lead at 46-45 for its first lead since 7-4 in the first half, and from that point on Houston and Alabama proved why they're both ranked in the top 15.

After Charles Bediako fouled out with 3:44 left, the Cougars took a 76-74 lead on free throws. Shackelford answered with a huge four-point play as he was fouled on a three-point attempt to give Alabama a 78-76 lead.

Houston answered with another offensive board that led to more second chance points to retake the lead, and then Shackelford immediately responded with another three-pointer to give the Crimson Tide an 81-79 lead. He shot 5-7 from beyond the arc and finished with 18 points.

"Shack made some big shots there late," Oats said. "The four-point play and the three that followed it up were big. We want to play tough games like this. This win's going to go a long ways."