The Extra Point: Jahvon Quinerly Responds to Nate Oats' Challenge

Coming off a loss to Kentucky in which Alabama did not defend well at all, Nate Oats looked for a response from his team, specifically his point guard, Jahvon Quinerly.

"We're not playing you if you don't play defense, period. I don't care if we don't have a center on the floor, I don't care if we don't have a point guard on the floor," Oats said in his pregame press conference earlier this week. "We'll put five guys out there and figure the offense out."

This was clearly a message being sent to Quinerly, who was benched to start the game against Vanderbilt in favor of freshman JD Davison. Quinerly did not play for the first seven minutes of the game.

Once Quinerly entered the game, he played with a renewed sense of swagger. The point guard score 19 points, the majority of which came in the second half, including a perfect 3-3 from beyond he arc, sparking Alabama's come-from-behind run. Additionally Quinerly nailed two free throws in the clutch to secure Alabama's 74-72 win.

"He definitely answered the challenge," Oats said.

Quinerly's engagement on both ends of the floor will be key for Alabama in the final stretch of the season, as it is still alive for the four-seed and double-bye in the SEC Tournament.

All year Alabama's offense and defense alike have played much better as Quinerly has played better, and if he continues his play from last night, Alabama will be a tough out for anyone the rest of the season.

Check out the video at the top of the page where BamaCentral's Clay Miller and Katie Windham discuss the Alabama softball team's hot start to the season.