No. 3 Alabama Stays Hot at Home in Thumping of Florida
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Another night at Coleman Coliseum, another game that was over by halftime.
The Alabama Crimson Tide remains unbeaten in SEC play after its 97-69 win over the Florida Gators on Wednesday night.
The Crimson Tide (21-3, 11-0 SEC) led by as many as 30 points. Brandon Miller led the way with 24 points, nine rebounds and three assists.
Ten others contributed to the scoring, including 19 from Mark Sears and 11 from Jahvon Quinerly. As a whole, Alabama shot 49% from the field and 44% from 3-point land.
There was no slowing down Florida forward Colin Castleton for the Crimson Tide. The Gators’ leading scorer finished with 29 points and 10 rebounds in 34 minutes.
Other than that, it was a slow night at the office for Florida (13-11, 6-5 SEC). Aside from Castleton, the Gators shot 13-for-45 (29%) from the field.
After having its nine-game winning streak snapped by Oklahoma on Jan. 28, Alabama has a new one going — winning its last three games by a combined 95 points.
Next up is the big one in The Jungle. The Crimson Tide will face off with its arch rival, Auburn, on Saturday afternoon.
Tipoff from Neville Arena is set for 1 p.m. CT on ESPN.
How it Happened
Second Half
FINAL: Alabama 97 | Florida 69
- The Crimson Tide has made six of eight shots from the field.
- Alabama 92 | Florida 62 | 3:08 2nd
- Brandon Miller is making it happen for the Crimson Tide. He's up to 19 points, eight rebounds and three assists. The lead has ballooned a bit.
- Alabama 78 | Florida 55 | 7:07 2nd
- The Gators have trimmed the lead to under 20. Colin Castleton is having his way on the offensive end right now.
- Alabama 69 | Florida 50 | 10:08 2nd
- Brandon Miller throws it down.
- Nick Pringle throws it down.
- The Crimson Tide is just 2-for-8 from the field since the beginning of the second half. Gators are 5-for-8 in that same span.
- Alabama 57 | Florida 35 | 15:45 2nd
- The Gators start the half on a 7-2 run to cut the lead to 24 quickly.
- Alabama 54 | Florida 30
- We're back underway at Coleman Coliseum.
First Half
First Half Box Score
- HALFTIME: Alabama 52 | Florida 23
- The Crimson Tide is lighting up Coleman Coliseum again. 56% from the field and 53% from 3-point range.
- Everybody is getting in on the fun — 8 different scorers for Alabama.
- Colin Castleton (13 PTS) trying to carry the load for the Gators.
- It's gotten so bad — the Gators are putting in baskets for the Crimson Tide. Everyone that has touched the floor has scored except for Nimari Burnett.
- Alabama 42 | Florida 20 | 2:54 1st
- Tell me if you've heard this — the Crimson Tide has opened up a large first half lead. The lead is already 25 here at Coleman Coliseum.
- Alabama 40 | Florida 15 | 6:13 1st
- Dom Welch's and-one takes us to the media timeout. The Crimson Tide still has its foot down on the gas on both ends of the floor.
- Alabama 33 | Florida 15 | 7:21 1st
- The Crimson Tide is a crisp 64% from the field so far — with five getting their name on the stat sheet early. Mark Sears and Jaden Bradley are leading the way with six points each.
- Alabama 22 | Florida 11 | 11:55 1st
- Jahvon Quinerly makes his first basket of the game.
- Excellent start for the Crimson Tide — who feels like it's a few makes away from blowing this thing open early. Colin Castleton doing what he can for the Gators early on.
- Alabama 15 | Florida 7 | 14:24 1st
- First basket of the game goes to Brandon Miller.
- We're underway in Tuscaloosa.
Pregame
- Starting Lineup for Alabama:
- Mark Sears
- Jaden Bradley
- Brandon Miller
- Noah Clowney
- Charles Bediako
- Tonight's Officials:
- Don Daily
- Bart Lenox
- Jeb Hartness
- Head coach Nate Oats, Brandon Miller, Delaney Heard and Adam Cottrell delivered pizzas to students waiting outside Coleman Coliseum.
- Alabama head coach Nate Oats is ready to go.
See Also:
Brandon Miller Named Top-10 Finalist for Julius Irving Award
No. 3 Alabama Hopeful for Farthest NCAA Tournament Run of Oats’ Tenure
