Live Updates: Alabama Crimson Tide vs UNLV Runnin' Rebels
After an opening-round loss to Stanford on Monday, the University of Alabama men's basketball team is back in action against UNLV in the Maui Invitational on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m (CT) on ESPN2.
Due to COVID-19, this year's event is held in Asheville, N.C. at the Harrah's Cheeroke Center with no fans allowed.
The Crimson Tide is 1-1 on the season with a win over Jacksonville State, while the Runnin' Rebels are 0-2 and coming off of a 78-51 defeat at the hands of North Carolina.
Alabama guard Jahvon Quinerly is averaging a team-high 16 points and wing Herbert Jones is the Crimson Tide's leading rebounder with eight per game.
A player to watch for the Runnin' Rebels is junior guard Bryce Hamilton who is averaging 21 points, six rebounds, and three assists through two games this year. He is also shooting 44.7 percent from the field.
Game notes: Tuesday’s contest marks the first time in the storied histories of each program that the two teams will meet on the hardwood. Combined, UNLV (1,305 wins in 1,889 total games) and Alabama (1,692 wins in 2,755 total games) have combined for 2,997 wins and 4,644 total games played between the two teams.
This marks Alabama’s second appearance in the Maui Invitational, owning a 2-2 all-time record in the event. The only other showing occurred back in 2008 when UA finished with a 2-1 record, falling to Oregon in the opening round before finishing play with back-to-back wins over Chaminade and Saint Joseph’s. In fact, four teams in that 2008 field will be making a return appearance: Alabama, Indiana, North Carolina and Texas.
Follow along on Bama Central for live updates throughout the contest.
Second half
- Alabama defeats UNLV, 86-74.
- Quinerly sinks two free throws and the lead is back up to 12 for the Crimson Tide. That should do it. 26 seconds to go.
- Tillis makes a three-pointer and cuts it the deficit to 10 with 33 seconds left.
- And the Runnin' Rebels will begin fouling ...
- After a tough layup from Coleman, UNLV calls a full-timeout with 1:06 remaining.
- Quinerly makes two shots at the line to put Alabama up by 14. This one is wrapping up with 1:26 left.
- Hamilton is at the line shooting a one-and-one. He makes both shots.
- Petty gets a block, then makes a nice pass to Jones who slams it home. 78-64 Alabama.
- Jones misses the free throw.
- The final media timeout of the game sees Alabama with a 76-64 lead with 3:01 remaining. Jones will look to complete an and-one when play resumes.
- A layup from Petty and step-back three-pointer from Quinerly extend Alabama's lead to 14, 74-60. Quinerly has 13 points on the night.
- Shackelford puts Alabama up by 11 with that three-pointer but Hamilton answers with a pullup jumper. At the under-8 minute media timeout, Alabama leads 69-60. 6:25 on the clock.
- Grill just made his seventh three-pointer. He has 27 points, but UNLV still trails, 64-58.
- Alabama has its largest lead of the game at nine, 64-55.
- Jones just about threw down the rim on that dunk. He was fouled, too. He'll shoot one and he makes it.
- After a turnover from Jones, UNLV stops the bleeding with a layup from Hamilton.
- Alabama is now on a 8-0 run after that layup from Quinerly. 61-53 Alabama and we have reached the under-12 minute media timeout. 11:53 remaining.
- Reese makes a wide-open three-pointer from the right wing and its 59-53 Crimson Tide. It's his first points of the game.
- Primo just knocked down his third triple of the night. Alabama by three, 56-53.
- Grill gets a steal, leading to a breakaway dunk and Alabama's lead is down to one, 51-50. He has 24 points for the Runnin' Rebels.
- Jenkins hits UNLV's ninth three-pointer of the game and Jones turns it over on Alabama's next possession. 51-48, Crimson Tide at the first media timeout.
- Quinerly's layup puts Alabama up 51-45. 16:20 left.
- Grill is on fire, hitting his fifth three-pointer, but the Runnin' Rebels have had no answer for Petty who just drained his sixth triple. He has 20 points.
- A free throw from Coleman and three-pointer have cut into Alabama's lead, 44-42.
- UNLV can't convert, but Shackelford hits a three-pointer on the other end. Crimson Tide up by six and the Runnin' Rebels are forced to take a timeout. 18:29 on the clock.
- Petty drains a triple to get things going in the second half. Alabama leads by three, 41-38.
- Both teams begin the final 20 minutes with the same starters.
First half
- Petty leads Alabama with 14 points and two rebounds, but UNLV's Grill has a game-high 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Both teams are hitting at about 35 percent from beyond-the-arc.
- Hamilton and Jones trade layups and we head to intermission tied at 38.
- Jones is fouled on the offensive rebound and he heads to the charity stripe, Misses the front end of the one-and-one.
- Bruner is fouled and he scores his first points of the night -- two free throws. Tied at 36 with 1:48 to go.
- Coleman breaks the tie with a nice spin-move layup, putting the Rebels back out in front.
- Petty only makes 1-of-2 and it's now tied at 34.
- UNLV turns it over the on their next possession and Petty is fouled for the Crimson Tide. He'll shoot two.
- Shackelford is headed to the free-throw line after that hard drive to the basket. He sinks both shots and Alabama only trails by one, 34-33.
- Grill scores a layup off the Alabama turnover, but Quinerly finishes at the rim on the other end to make it a three-point game, 34-31 UNLV at the final media timeout of the half. 3:43 remaining.
- After a block from Petty, Jones finds a wide-open Primo in the corner and he scores the trey. The talented freshman has eight points and Alabama has made it a one-possession game, 32-29.
- Hamilton drives down the lane and fights for a tough bucket at the rim. UNLV by six, 32-26.
- A jumper from Coleman and three-pointer from Grill give UNLV a 30-26 advantage at the under-8 minute media break. Both teams have combined for 17 threes.
- Alabama has re-gained the lead, 26-25.
- Petty is back to his old self. He just made a three-pointer from the top of the key as he is fouled and then he makes the free throw, completing the four-point play. He's made four threes so far.
- Alabama is now on a 6-0 run thanks to another three-pointer from Petty and jumper by Jones. 23-22 UNLV. 9:32 left.
- Grill and Hamilton make back-to-back baskets and its 23-16 UNLV.
- Primo makes a tough driving layup and we have reached the under-12 minute media timeout. 19-16 Runnin' Rebels with 11:51 on the clock.
- Over the last 4:30, UNLV is on a 16-3 run.
- A basket in the lane from Woods puts UNLV up five, 19-14. 13:20 to go. Alabama has gone cold, missing six of its last seven shots.
- Primo knocks down a three-pointer from the corner and it's 15-14 Rebels.
- Alex Reese and James Rojas have entered the game for Alabama.
- Jenkins extends UNLV's lead to four with that trey.
- Alabama hasn't scored in the last 2:03 of action.
- UNLV takes a 12-11 lead after a three-pointer from Grill. The Rebels are 4-of-7 from deep to start at the first media timeout. 15:29 left.
- Josh Primo is the first sub of the night for Alabama.
- The Runnin' Rebels strike back with three-pointers to make it 11-9.
- UNLV is called for a shot-clock violation and Jones scores a layup to go up, 11-3, on the other end.
- Shackelford makes a three-pointer from the left corner. 9-3 Crimson Tide. Great start for Oats' bunch. 3-of-3 from deep.
- After the UNLV miss, Petty hits again from beyond-the-arc and its 6-0.
- Alabama wins the top and Petty drains a three-pointer to open the scoring.
Pregame
- UNLV starting five: Caleb Grill, David Jenkins Jr., Bryce Hamilton, Marvin Coleman, and Cheikh Mbacke Diong.
- Alabama starting five: Jahvon Quinerly, Jaden Shackelford, John Petty Jr., Herb Jones, and Jordan Bruner. Same group that has started the first two games.
- Tonight's officials are Jeff Clark, Tim Kelly, and Keith Fogleman.
This story will be updated.
