Alabama
4-0,0-0SEC
Oakland
2-2,0-0Horizon
14/13 Alabama Men’s Basketball Defeats Oakland, 86-59, to Improve to 4-0
11/19/2021 9:40:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Jaden Shackelford scored his 1,000th career point, finishing with 20 points in the victory
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The No. 14/13 Alabama men's basketball team improved to 4-0 to start the season following an 86-59 victory over Oakland Friday night in Coleman Coliseum. The victory marked the Crimson Tide's 14th-straight home win and 25th-straight victory when scoring 80 or more points.
Guard Jaden Shackelford led the charge with 20 points on the night, surpassing 1,000 career points in just his fourth game of his junior season. Backcourt mate Jahvon Quinerly ended with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field. Freshman JD Davison finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while freshman Charles Bediako added 12 points, five rebounds and three blocked shots.
Head Coach Nate Oats Comments
"This was our most complete game of the year. We've been talking to our team about playing all sides of the ball for an entire 40 minutes. I thought we got as close as we've got all year. I was really happy with our defensive effort. I thought offensively, you know, we didn't make shots. We didn't shoot well from three and still were able to put up 86 points on a tough zone. If you look at the three games they played before, they played three really good teams and beat Oklahoma State, almost beat West Virginia and beat a really good Toledo team by 20 plus. Those teams all struggled to score, so I thought we did a pretty good job moving the ball and taking it in transition. I'm happy for Shack. He also, ironically enough, won the hard hat with the most blue-collar points. I think he was really locked in, playing hard on both ends of the floor. I'm happy with the overall effort tonight."
There it is!!! Shack becomes the 53rd player in program history to score 1,000 points#RollTide | #BlueCollarBasketball pic.twitter.com/KVuz5nqUNk
— Alabama Men's Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) November 20, 2021
Team Stats
- Shackelford recorded his 1,000th career point off an and-one layup, becoming the 53rd player in program history to reach the feat
- Shackelford posted 20 points in the game, his second game this season reaching 20-plus points and the 15th time in his career
- UA owned a 10-1 advantage in blocks over the Golden Grizzlies, helping the Tide to a 12-2 edge in fast break points
- The Tide shot 43.3 percent on the night from the floor and knocked down 18-of-22 shots from the free throw line (81.8 percent)
- Oakland shot just 30.2 percent from the floor and 17.4 percent from beyond the arc
- The Crimson Tide owned a 38-24 edge in points in the paint
First Half
- Quinerly opened the game hot, scoring eight of Alabama's first 10 points
- After an Oakland three cut the lead to 12-11, Alabama responded with a 16-4 run to take a commanding13-point lead, 28-15, with 7:03 left to play in the half
- Quinerly and Shackelford both ended with 12 points in the first half
- Alabama shot a 43.3 percent from the field but only hit 4-of-17 three-point shots (23.5 percent)
- The Crimson Tide defense stifled the Grizzlies, holding Oakland to just 26.5 percent from the floor and 14.3 beyond the arc while blocking five shots
A milestone night for @jayunooo ??
— Alabama Men's Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) November 20, 2021
??https://t.co/VUJWPdBpRk#RollTide | #BlueCollarBasketball pic.twitter.com/iAcOSHjVQ7
Second Half
- Darius Miles went on a two-minute scoring frenzy, posting seven points off three free throws and back-to-back layups
- The pair of layups from Miles sparked a 14-5 run for the Tide, giving the team a 68-43 lead with 9:04 to play
- Shackelford and Bediako paced the second half, scoring eight points apiece for the tied
Up Next
- Alabama will travel to Orlando, Fla., to compete in the ESPN Events Invitational, which will be played Nov. 25, 26 and 28 at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex. The Crimson Tide will open the event against Iona, who they matched up against in the 2021 NCAA Tournament first round, winning 68-55. That contest will tipoff at 4 p.m. CT (5 p.m. ET) and will be televised on either ESPN or ESPN2.
