Alabama
4-1,0-0SEC
Iona
6-0,0-0MAAC
No. 10/9 Alabama Falls in Final Minutes to Iona, 72-68
11/25/2021 8:21:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Gaels used a late 14-3 second half run to pull out the come-from-behind win
ORLANDO – The No. 10/9 Alabama men's basketball team dropped a narrow 72-68 decision to Iona in the opening round of the ESPN Events Invitational Thursday night. The Crimson Tide held the lead throughout a majority of the contest, however, the Gaels used a 14-3 second half run to take the lead for good.
Alabama was led on the night by Jaden Shackelford's double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds, while backcourt mate Jahvon Quinerly was the only other player to reach double-digits with 15 in the loss. The Tide also struggled shooting the ball, knocking down just 5-of-17 (29.4 percent) from beyond the arc and only 13-of-25 (52.0 percent) from the charity stripe.
Team Stats
- Shackelford recorded his team-leading second double-double this season (10 points and 10 rebounds vs. South Alabama)
- Alabama shot 44.6 percent from the floor (25-of-58) as Iona went 44.1 percent (26-of-59) in field goal percentage
- The Tide pulled down 38 rebounds to lead the Gaels in the stat line who had 31
- The back-and-forth battle saw the score tied on 10 occasions and the lead change seven times
- Alabama led for 28:01 of the contest including all but the final four minutes of the second half, while Iona only held a lead for 7:56
First Half
- Quinerly and Shackelford paced the floor, each scoring double-digits with 10 points to account for 20 of UA's 33 first half point total
- Neither team led by more than four points throughout opening 20 minutes
- The first half saw seven ties and six lead changes
- Alabama owned a big edge on the boards in the first half, outrebounding the Gaels, 20-12
- The Tide also led in points off turnovers, scoring nine points compared to four from the Gaels
- UA shot 52 percent from the floor while holding Iona to 37.5 percent
Second Half
- Alabama was able to build its largest of the game at 46-37 with 12:27 remaining, however, Iona responded with a 10-1 run over the next nearly three minutes to draw even at 47-47
- The Crimson Tide was able to build its lead back up and led by six, 56-50, with 7:55 remaining
- Iona responded by outscored the Tide, 14-3, over the next 4:23 to take a 64-59 lead
- UA was able to draw within one on two separate occasions down the stretch, but Iona held on for the win
Up Next
- Alabama will take on the loser of Drake and Belmont Friday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. CT) on ESPNU
