By Kyle Murphy, UA Media Relations
The University of Alabama Men’s Basketball team went down to the wire Saturday afternoon, knocking off the South Carolina Gamecocks 64-61 in front of a sold out Coleman Coliseum crowd.
After being down 32-26 at halftime, the Crimson Tide rallied to outscore the Gamecocks 38-29 in the second half to seal the victory, which improved its SEC record to 4-4.
“We really didn’t get into a good flow because of South Carolina,” said Alabama Head Coach Mark Gottfried. “The way they changed their defenses didn’t let us get into a steady flow with our offense. They did a good job keeping you off balance.
“At the end of the game, I thought our defense won the game for us. We have to improve and sustain our defense for 40 minutes, and it can’t be here and there.”
The Carolina defense held the Tide to a 41.8 percent shooting night. The Gamecocks shot 46.2 percent from the field on the afternoon.
Alabama (17-5, 4-4 SEC) was led by Mykal Riley who scored 15 points, including three three-pointers. Riley scored 14 of those points in the final 12 minutes of the ballgame. Alonzo Gee added 12 points and Jermareo Davidson scored nine points and had 10 rebounds.
Sophomore Richard Hendrix picked up his 10th double-double of the season Saturday. Hendrix scored 14 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, including nine offensive boards. It would be his 17th career double-double in a Crimson Tide uniform.
“I thought Richard Hendrix today offensively with the rebounding he had and defensively blocking some shots and making some key plays was huge,” Gottfried said. “A lot of guys stepped up and played well.”
South Carolina (12-9, 2-6 SEC) was led by Bryce Sheldon, who led all players with 17 points. He shot 6-for-9 from the field and went 5-for-8 from behind the three point line. Tre’ Kelley added 14 points for the Gamecocks.
The win put Alabama in sole possession of first place in the SEC Western Division. The Tide takes the court again Wednesday night, facing SEC West rival Mississippi State. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. from Coleman Coliseum.
The Mississippi State game is one of two remaining SEC home games fans can still buy tickets for. Fans can get their tickets by visiting the Alabama Athletics Ticket Office in Coleman Coliseum, by calling (205) 348-BAMA, or by visiting rolltide.com.
