Alabama
1-0,0-0SEC
Jacksonville State
0-1,0-0OVC
No. 25 Alabama Men’s Basketball Surges Past Jacksonville State, 81-57, in Season Opener
11/25/2020 10:06:00 PM | Men's Basketball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama’s Jaden Shackelford and Herbert Jones each collected a double-double on the night to lead four players in double figures as the Crimson Tide cruised to an 81-57 season-opening victory over the Jacksonville State Gamecocks Wednesday night in Coleman Coliseum.
Shackelford (18 points and 11 rebounds) and Jones (12 points and 12 rebounds) were joined in by guard Jahvon Quinerly, who collected 18 points and team-leading three assists in his first performance for UA after sitting out the 2019-20 season due to NCAA transfer rules, and John Petty Jr. (14 points) as double-digit scorers.
Coach Nate Oats Postgame Comments
“I am really pleased with our effort. We are going to shoot a lot better here on out, we missed a lot at the rim. All in all, we set a record here for blue collar points, we had 151. Herb Jones led the team, taking charges and getting deflections were key. I thought our energy on that side of the ball was good and we were not letting them score off of second chances. I am happy for Shack, it was his first double-double of his career and I thought his effort was great. I told the team let’s not worry about the offense as much, let’s just play our game. I am really happy for JQ. It was his first game and birthday and he scored 18 points. Thought there were many good things to look at, but we’ll get the offense ready for Monday.”
Team Stats
- Jaden Shackelford collected his first career double-double in the win, which included a career-best 11 rebounds
- Herbert Jones’ 12 rebounds is the fifth time in his career he has reached double-digit rebounds and it’s his fourth career double-double
- James Rojas came off the bench to account for eight points and seven rebounds in his first collegiate action at Alabama
- Alabama led for 37:12 of the game and by as many as 30 points before settling for the 24-point win
- The Tide used a 42-16 edge in points in the paint and a 23-9 advantage in second chance points
- Alabama outrebounded Jacksonville State 55-49 and forced the Gamecocks into 20 turnovers on the night to result in a 19-10 edge in points off turnovers
First Half
- After trailing 10-9 early in the game, Alabama used a 12-2 run to take the lead for good
- Jacksonville State trimmed the deficit to six, 30-24, with 2:37 remaining in the half, however, the Tide scored the final six points in the half to take its largest lead, 36-24, into the locker room
Gallery: 11-25-20 MBB vs JSU
Second Half
- Alabama continued the run by scoring six consecutive points to begin the second stanza to stretch its lead to 18, 42-24.
- In all, UA’s 12-0 run that spanned halftime lasted a total of 3:35
- The Crimson Tide sealed the game by going on a 14-1 run to build its largest lead of 30, 76-46, with 4:02 left to play
The Tide will return to action on Monday night when it takes on the Stanford Cardinal in the opening round of the Maui Classic, which will be held in Asheville, N.C. The contest will tip off at 8:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2.
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