A Second-Half Surge Propels No. 8 Alabama Basketball Over Georgia, 89-79
Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats was looking for some rhythm from his offense heading into the Crimson Tide's regular-season finale against Georgia on Saturday afternoon.
He definitely didn't see it for a majority of the first 20 minutes, when Alabama (21-6, 16-2 SEC) trailed by as many as 14, committed 11 turnovers and shot a dreadful 16 percent from three-point range but the second half of the Crimson Tide's 89-79 victory inside Stegeman Coliseum was a completely different story.
"Credit to Georgia," Oats said postgame. "I thought they came out more ready to play than we were. Give a lot of credit to Coach [Tom] Crean and his staff and those players...
"From when we were down 29-15, we really picked it up. The first 12 minutes didn't go well but the last eight minutes of the first half did. We can't afford to come out in Nashville like we did."
Trailing 36-30 at intermission, senior wing Herbert Jones scored seven of Alabama's first 12 points in the second period, which paved the way for a 25-9 run to give the visitors a 55-45 lead with 13:17 on the clock.
Georgia (14-11, 7-11 SEC) eventually cut the deficit down to two with 11 minutes left after three consecutive triples from guard K.D Johnson and forward P.J Horne but the Bulldogs defense couldn't put out the red-hot Crimson Tide.
Alabama shot a blazing 80 percent (8-of-10) from deep and 63.3 percent from the field across the second half, four of which came from guards Jaden Shackelford and Jahvon Quinerly. It finished the game going 10-of-22 from beyond-the-arc.
All of 18 of Quinerly's points came in the second stanza, converting on 5-of-8 from the field and he also dished out four assists.
"JQ didn't have a particular great first half, but I thought he was dynamite in the second half," Oats said. "Had 18 points in one half, which is more than what he is capable of. I thought Georgia had a real hard time keeping him out of the lane. He played great...
"JQ's maybe the most talented guard in the league when you put everything together. Knocking down threes, getting into the lane, finishing assists. I think when he's just locked into guarding people and letting the offense flow, he's really good."
Things got a little dicey when a free throw from Toumani Camara cut Alabama's lead to 82-79 with 1:13 remaining, but on the Crimson Tide's next possession, guard Keon Ellis drilled a triple from the wing, putting the nail in the coffin on the 10-point win.
"Keon's three was huge," Oats said. "We told you guys at the beginning of the year that we weren't going to necessarily start our five best guys but it helps to have guys come off the bench and play great. We have a pretty deep team."
Alabama had 33 bench points compared to Georgia's 24 and shot 48.5 percent (33-of-68) from the field for the entire game.
The win ties the Crimson Tide's school-record for SEC wins in a single season with 16, which is the most since the 1986-1987 season. It also marks a regular-season sweep of the Bulldogs, with Alabama taking the first game in Tuscaloosa by a margin of 115-82 back on Feb. 13.
Along with Quinerly, a total of five Crimson Tide players finished in double-figures including senior guard John Petty Jr. with 16, Shackelford with 14, freshman guard Josh Primo with 11 and Jones, who added 10.
Alabama dominated the battle on the glass, 45-32.
For Georgia, sophomore guard Sahvir Wheeler dropped a team-high 18 points, to go along with 10 assists. Johnson added 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting and five rebounds.
As the No. 1 seed of the SEC Tournament, the next time the Crimson Tide takes the hardwood will be on Friday in the quarterfinals versus either Kentucky or Mississippi State at 11 a.m (CT) inside Bridgestone Arena.
"I hope this second-half offense and defense carries over to a full game in Nashville next week," Oats said. "That's what I told our team. We looked today the way we feel we can play in the second half, with the way the ball was moving around and we were making shots."
