Tide drops SEC opener 90-83 to Florida
1/8/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By: Tyler Roberts
UA Media Relations
TUSCALOOSA- The University of Alabama basketball team fell 90-83, to the defending national champion Florida Gators in both team’s SEC opener at Coleman Coliseum Tuesday night. The game remained in doubt until the final seconds, but the Gators got away with the victory thanks to solid free-throw shooting and some timely three-pointers.
With the score tied 71-71 with seven minutes left in the game, Florida went on an 11-0 run, giving them a lead that they would not relinquish. The Tide made it interesting, countering with an 8-0 run of its own but were unable to recapture the lead in the closing minutes.
Alonzo Gee and Richard Hendrix carried the load offensively for Alabama as Gee scored a career-high 32 points to go along with eight rebounds, and Hendrix put together a huge double-double, finishing with 24 points and 16 rebounds.
“They hit some big time shots and we weren’t able to convert on our end,” Hendrix said. “We rushed a few shots on our end, took some shots we didn’t want to take. They are a great team. They are the national champs. You have to give them credit.”
Florida showed off a balanced scoring attack, putting four starters into double figures led by freshman Nick Calathes with 21 points. Fellow freshman Jai Lucas added 19 and Walter Hodge finished with 17.
The Tide led for the entire first half, taking a 47-40 lead into the break. Alabama made 50 percent from the field and made 6-13 three-pointers in the first half to establish the lead.
However, Florida came out with a flourish in the second half, taking its first lead of the game, 61-59 on a Jai Lucas three, with 13:20 remaining in the game. For the second half, Florida went 7-11 from behind the arc compared to 2-13 for Alabama. Free-throw shooting also played an important role in the outcome as the Florida made 81 percent of its foul shots compared to 58 percent for Alabama.
“First of all, let me say, I think our kids played really hard,” head coach Mark Gottfried said. “I loved our effort. We had some errors at critical times, whether it was a tough shot at the wrong time or not being able to get a stop. When you win a game, a big game, it counts as one. When you lose, it counts as one. So, we have to get it back somewhere.”
The Tide kept it close by forcing 17 turnovers and converting them into 23 points and scoring 16 points from offensive rebounds.
The loss sends the Tide to 11-5 on the season while the win improves the Gators to 14-2. Alabama’s next game will be on the road against division foe Arkansas on Sunday, January 13. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. CST.
