No. 19 Alabama Outlasts No. 14 Tennessee, 73-68
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Its a well-known fact that Alabama and Tennessee are not the fondest of each other's company. No matter the sport, tensions are always high in this heated southern rivalry.
In men's basketball, Alabama and Tennessee had not met since last season's SEC Tournament until Wednesday night's matchup. When you add that both teams are ranked in the top 20, you've got yourself a full, lively Coleman Coliseum.
No. 19 Alabama and No. 14 Tennessee gave the fans what they wanted with a competitive, back-and-forth contest. The game was decided in the final minutes, and Alabama's clutch shooting and defending led the Crimson Tide to an electric 73-68 victory.
"Give Tennessee a lot of credit, playing without two starters I thought they gave us everything we could handle," head coach Nate Oats said postgame.
Alabama struggled to find the mark from long range early on, sinking a mere 2-of-12 at the 5:08 mark of the first half. Tennessee was able to stretch its lead to 33-23 due to the Crimson Tide's lackluster shooting.
"We struggled to make shots, a lot of that due to Tennessee's defense," Oats said. "Some of them we just missed some open shots."
But Alabama did not lay down. Sparked by the play of forward Noah Gurley, Alabama ended the first half with a 10-0 run to tie the game at 33 at intermission.
"We're going to keep shooting, everybody be in the gym, we all believe in each other," Gurley said. "Coach tells us 'if you're open, take a shot.'"
Gurley had 10 first half points, shooting a 4-of-5 clip from the field off the bench. That was a game-high going into the break, and he had five of the 10 unanswered by Alabama.
The second half had an interesting beginning, as the officials swallowed their whistles on multiple calls for both squads.
Alabama missed out on back-to-back corner threes due to a JD Davison charge call and Jahvon Quinerly's heel being out of bounds, giving Tennessee momentum and a 47-45 advantage with 12:12 remaining.
That did not stop the effort of Gurley and Quinerly, though. Quinerly willed the Crimson Tide through the first 10 minutes of the second half, keeping the game in striking distance with two and-one layups.
Quinerly finished the game with 18 points while shooting 1-of-7 from three.
Gurley continued where he left off in the second half, and Alabama desperately needed it.
It came in a game where Darius Miles did not play due to his performance in practice recently, according to Oats.
Tennessee built a lead with its free throw opportunities, shooting 14-of-16 from the line in the second half. Outside of the free throw success, Tennessee shot just 29 percent from the field in the second half.
Alabama did not make a three until the 4:03 mark of the second half, missing 11 straight. Ellis was previously 0-for-4 from deep, but he knocked down a timely three on the left wing to cut Tennessee's lead to 63-60.
Then the insanity began.
Jaden Shackelford, who was 1-of-9 from deep at the time, sank a three to tie the game at 65 with 2:01 remaining, and Alabama followed with a defensive stop.
After a timeout, Shackelford drove inside with the shot clock winding down and hurled up a loopy layup that found the bottom of the basket.
Tennessee's Olivier Nkamhoua answered with a transition deep ball, giving Tennessee a lead with under a minute.
Ellis answered with another three, from the same spot as his last one on the left wing. Alabama jumped to a 70-68 lead.
Ultimately, Alabama was able to hold on with its defensive effort on the final possessions, including a clutch Gurley rebound. A rebound that gave him a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
It is his fifth career double-double, and his first with the Crimson Tide.
"Staying down staying humble, you know, stay down 'til you come up that's the motto," Gurley said.
"Noah Gurley, best game he's played since he's been here," Oats said. "He's been in the gym working, he might be our hardest worker. We've got some hardworking guys, that work doesn't go unrewarded. He's going to stay in the gym, he's going to work, he's going to trust his work.
"He's got a lot of confidence, and he stepped up in a big way when we needed him."
Alabama found a way to emerge victorious to begin SEC play, ending the game on a 6-0 run.
"It's a big deal, it's a big win to start SEC play out," Oats said.
Full Game Stats
