Alabama
3-1,0-0SEC
Providence
2-2,0-0Big East
Alabama Men’s Basketball Downs Providence, 88-71
12/2/2020 9:36:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Crimson Tide uses hot second-half shooting to capture fifth place overall at the Maui Invitational
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The No. 25 Alabama men’s basketball team used balanced scoring along with a dominating rebounding performance to muscle past Providence, 88-71, in the fifth-place game of the 2020 Camping World Maui Invitational on Wednesday night. It was the second consecutive victory for the Crimson Tide, as it improves to 3-1 on the season.
For a second-straight contest, guard John Petty Jr. led the Tide’s offensive attack with 16 points on the night, which was played on his birthday. Guards Jaden Shackelford and Joshua Primo added 15 each, while Herbert Jones (11) and Jahvon Quinerly (10) also contributed on the offensive end of the floor. Jones also led the Tide with eight rebounds, five assists and a pair of steals in his 32 minutes of action.
However, it was the performance on the glass that helped lead the Tide to the victory. Alabama outrebounded Providence 48-28 in the contest, which included an 18-8 edge on the offensive glass. As a result, Alabama had a 21-9 advantage in second chance points.
I thought our effort was a lot better. I think we’ve made a big improvement over the three days we were here and that’s what we are trying to do is get better. If it took a loss to Stanford to get our guys where they needed to be, then that’s what it took. So, only three teams leave here with a 2-1 record and we are one of them. I think we played really good basketball the last two nights and got better every single game out. Tonight, we didn’t start off great. They hit some tough shots, but our guys just stayed the course. After going down 8-0, I think we went on a 17-3 run and never gave up the lead from there. I told our guys we are going to have to outrebound them tonight in order to win and they answered the bell. I thought our guys stepped up in areas they needed to step up. It’s Petty’s birthday and he led in scoring, but we also had two other guys with 15. I think Primo is getting more and more comfortable in the offense and playing high-level basketball. I don’t know what it was against Stanford – we didn’t play hard like we needed to, but I think we are clicking now.Coach Nate Oats
Team Stats
- The Crimson Tide connected on 8-of-12 (.667) three-pointers in the second half after going just 4-of-17 (.235) in the opening stanza
- UA led for 35:01 and by as many as 23 points in the contest before settling for the 17-point win
- Shackelford extended his streak to 19 games scoring in double figures with his 15 points, while also pulling down six rebounds
- Alabama shot 47 percent from the floor, including 53 percent in the second half, while holding the Friars to just 42 percent
- Providence (2-2) could not match the Tide’s efficiency from beyond the arc, as the Alabama defense held the Friars to just 5-of-23 (.217) from deep
First Half
- After trailing 8-0 to begin the contest, Alabama scored 17 of the game’s next 20 points (17-3 run) over the next five-plus minute to take the lead for good
- The Crimson Tide then went on to outscore Providence 19-17 in the final 9 minutes of the half, led by Petty’s 10 points on 3-7 from the field
- With Alabama holding on to a six-point lead, 32-26, with 4:44 remaining, the Tide went on a mini 9-3 spurt over the next 3:18 to take a double-digit lead, 41-29, with just over a minute left in the half
- The Tide would go on to take a 42-31 lead into the locker room
Second Half
- Providence scored six of the first eight points in the half to trim Alabama’s lead to only by seven, 44-37, but that was the close the Friars would get
- With the Tide leading 56-47 with 14:29 remaining, Alabama used a huge 14-2 run over the next 3:26 to extend its lead to 72-49
- However, Providence (2-2) responded with a 12-0 run to slim the lead to 11, 74-63, with 5:51 to go
- The Tide would respond with consecutive made three-pointers by Quinerly and Primo to give UA a 17-point advantage with just over three minutes remaining
- Alabama would finish the half shooting an efficient 53.3 percent from the field while knocking down eight of its 12 three-point attempts after the intermission
Next Up
- The Tide will have a 10-day break between games due to final exams before returning to action on Dec. 12 when it takes on the Clemson Tigers in the Holiday Hoopsgiving event in Atlanta. The tip time and television channel will be announced soon.
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