Alabama's Offense Has 'Good Answers', Resets Single Season Three-Point High in Victory Over Yale

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - No. 14 Alabama basketball set a new season high for three-pointers made in a game by draining 22-of-54 from deep in the Crimson Tide's 102-78 non-conference win over Yale. Alabama's barrage of deep shots made up 66 of the Crimson Tide's 102 points as eight different players found the mark from behind the arc.

The Crimson Tide shot so well that centers Aiden Sherrell and Noah Williamson each had attempts fall from deep, but it was the guards that really shined. Aden Holloway led the team in scoring with 26, making 5-of-10 from deep while Latrell Wrightsell made 5-of-15, Jahlil Bethea made 4-of-7 and Houston Mallette made 4-of-9.

"Yeah, when we move the ball like we did, and we space the floor like we spaced the floor, it's a tough cover. Shoot, our two centers made a three," Nate Oats said. "When your centers can shoot, everybody on the floor can shoot. We've got some of the best shooters in country in Holloway, Mallette, Wrightsell, Bethea. I think those guys can really put a strain on the defense, because we also got guys that can get in the paint. So do you want to sit in the gaps and converge on the paint, or do you want to build out and take threes away. I think they were going to take the paint away so we took 54 threes. If we take 54 threes we get the right threes we're going to make a lot. BYU took the paint away from us last year we had 25 threes. So if you're going to build out and take the three away I do think we've got some guys that can get downhill and score at the rim. Obviously, when Labaron gets back he's elite at that, Amari's been getting pretty good getting the ball downhill. I think even Wrightsell drives it with some physicality, can get in there, Bethea can do it. Either way, however you want to guard us, I think we've got good answers. Tonight, Yale's the best team in the Ivy League, but we've got better athleticism than them, so they probably had to pack in a little tighter due to our athleticism and we were just able to move the ball and get pretty good looks from three."

The Yale coach kept it short and sweet, while corroborating Oats' postgame assessment and crediting the Crimson Tide's skill from deep.

"Well we were trying to play the gaps and cut down on penetration which led to a lot of open shots for them and they made open shots," James Jones said.

Alabama's previous high mark for made three's in a game came when making 16 in a loss to Purdue and in a win against UTSA. The Crimson Tide's 41-percent success rate is its third highest mark fo the season after the program converted 45-percent and 42-percent against Maryland and UNLV in Las Vegas last month.

"We were just finding the people that were open," Bethea said. "Coach tells us to shoot the open shots and that's what we did tonight. We knocked most of them, and at the end of the day, we ended up making 22."