How a Teammate's Challenge Pushed Grant Nelson to Big Performance Over Auburn
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Grant Nelson couldn't have gotten off to a better start in an Alabama uniform, scoring 20+ points in his first two games this season after transferring in from North Dakota State.
But since those opening games, the senior forward has struggled some, particularly against high-level competition. Nelson got off to another rough start Wednesday night against Auburn making just one of his five shots from the floor in the first half. Thanks to a conversation with a teammate on the bench, Nelson got his confidence back and led the Crimson Tide to a 79-75 victory over the No. 8 Tigers in the final minutes.
"My confidence wasn't all there," Nelson said postgame. "Rylan [Griffen] talked to me on the bench. He challenged me, and I took that and ran with it. I appreciate these guys getting on me. I feel like we need that."
Alabama head coach Nate Oats said his best teams have been player-led, and he appreciated Griffen getting on to Nelson.
"It was great that Rylan stepped up," Oats said. "I mean, he basically told Grant, 'We need you. We need you to play tough. You're good enough. We need you. Step it up.'
"He stepped it up."
Nelson finished with 14 points and a season-high 11 rebounds– his first double-double of the season. Twelve of his 14 points and eight of the 11 rebounds came in the second half, including seven of Alabama's final crucial 10 points in the closing minutes.
Alabama held a 14-point lead at halftime, but Auburn came out strong in the second half. The Tigers cut it down to five points on a 9-0 run in the first four and a half minutes of the second half. Nelson ended that run with a reverse and-one dunk to kill Auburn's momentum, and provide a spark for the Crimson Tide. Nelson hustled after airballing a 3-point attempt to get the dunk.
"It’s just our guys getting in there, crashing the o-boards," Nelson said. "Mo Dioubate got that rebound, and I just saw an open lane and cut. That got us going. It’s great to see this team working hard, and it pays off.”
The Tigers continued to roar back, and eventually took the lead at 58-57 with 9:16 to go in the game. The two teams continued to trade blows back and forth, and Auburn once again cut it to one point with 2:10 to go. Nelson answered on the other end with two free throws, followed by a putback dunk on the next possession to give the Crimson Tide a more comfortable lead at 75-70.
Nelson stepped to the free throw line with 11 seconds left, a one-point Alabama lead and the opportunity to ice the game for the Crimson Tide. He calmly hit both free throws to put Alabama up by three. Nelson was 8-for-9 from the free throw line and is shooting over 85 percent from the line on the season. His 14 points were a season-best in SEC play.
"We needed them to play like that, and he needed that for his confidence," Oats said. "He needed to know he could go against a top-10 team in the country and get a double-double... He impacted the game a lot of ways– offensive rebounds, defensive stops, defensive rebounds.
"I think Grant's starting to figure that out, and I was super fired up for him on some of those tough plays he made."
With the win, Alabama (13-6, 5-1 SEC) moves back into first place in the SEC, and Nelson will continue to play a big role in the Crimson Tide's success moving forward.
