Alabama
1-0,0-0SEC
Louisiana Tech
-01,00 CUSA
No. 14/13 Alabama Impresses in Season-Opening 93-64 Victory Over Louisiana Tech
11/9/2021 11:47:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Five players reach double digits as Crimson Tide cruises to 29-point win
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The No. 14/13 Alabama men's basketball team opened the 2021-22 season in impressive fashion with a 93-64 victory over Louisiana Tech in its season opener which was played Tuesday night. The Crimson Tide led from start to finish as five players reached double figures en route to the season-opening win.
Senior Keon Ellis led the team with 18 points to go along with nine rebounds and three steals, while his plus-minus of +37 led the team. Juwan Gary earned his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds while Jaden Shackelford added 17 points on 4-of-10 shooting from deep.
Freshman JD Davison shined in his collegiate debut, which included a highlight reel dunk in the first half that sent the crowd to its feet, as he finished with 12 points, six rebounds and a team-leading six assists. Sophomore Darius Miles added 11 off the bench, hitting all three of his three-pointers.
Slam. Bam. Jam... JD DAVISON
— Alabama Men's Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) November 10, 2021
?? https://t.co/MejUBfYb9m#RollTide | #BlueCollarBasketball pic.twitter.com/15uFeh40mu
Prior to the contest, which was played in front of 12,613 fans including a sold out student section, the University of Alabama honored Cameron Luke Ratliff. Ratliff, affectionately known as "Fluffopotamus" or "Fluff."
A night for immortalizing a legend in Coleman Coliseum !!
— Alabama Men's Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) November 10, 2021
Forever #RollTide pic.twitter.com/C7aovUnqIt
Coach Oats Postgame Comments
"First, I want to thank the student section with over 3,000 students. It was a night to remember Fluff, and great to have his parents right there. We asked the student section to show up and they did. Coming out of the locker room and seeing the place packed for Fluff's ceremony was awesome. It would be great to get the student section showing up like that every night; I think it gives us a huge homecourt advantage and our guys played great. Louisiana Tech is a quality team, and it was a really good game for us out of the gate. This gave us plenty to work on, but we come away with a lot of positives. I thought our effort was great and we were able to get some great performances."
Team Stats
- Alabama shot 50 percent (32-of-64) on the night, while holding the Bulldogs to 39 percent from the floor (26-of-67)
- Gary set a career high in rebounds with 10, while tying his career high in points and made field goals (6)
- Ellis recorded a career-high 18 points and +37 in in plus-minus, while matching a career-best with nine rebounds
- Alabama finished with a 16-5 edge in points off turnovers despite forcing the Bulldogs into just 11 turnovers while committing 14
- The Tide finished with 64 shots, 33 of which were from beyond the arc (13-of-33)
First Half
- The Crimson Tide jumped out to a 12-6 lead at the first media timeout from the help of a quick four points from Jahvon Quinerly
- Tied at 16-16 with 13:15 left to play, the Tide went on a 19-5 run over the next 8:44 to take a commanding 35-21 lead with 4:31 remaining until intermission
- Gary lit a spark off the bench for the Tide, finishing the half with eight points and six boards
- Shackelford posted 12 points, four rebounds and two assists to lead UA
- Alabama shot 52.8 percent from the floor (19-of-36) and held the Bulldogs to 40.6 percent (13-of-32)
- Alabama exited the half with a 17-point lead, heading into the break ahead 48-31
Second Half
- Alabama shot 13-of-28 in the second half for a 46.4 field goal percentage, while Louisiana Tech was held to just 13-of-35 from the floor (37.1 percent)
- UA emptied its bench as graduate student Tyler Barnes scored a career-high four points, matching his career scoring total
- UA concluded the half with its largest lead of the game at 29 points (93-64)
For all the latest information on the team, follow AlabamaMBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. General athletic news can be found @UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.
