Alabama
18-5,13-1SEC
Vanderbilt
6-12,2-10SEC
No. 8/9 Alabama Moves One Game Closer to SEC Regular-Season Title After Defeating Vanderbilt, 82-78
2/20/2021 3:03:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Jaden Shackelford led the way with a season-high 27 points in the victory
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The No. 8/9 Alabama men’s basketball team pulled out an 82-78 home victory over Vanderbilt Saturday afternoon on Senior Day. The win improved the Crimson Tide to 18-5 overall and 13-1 in Southeastern Conference and put UA’s magic number to clinch at least a share of its first SEC regular season championship at one game heading into next week’s action.
The Crimson Tide was led by guard Jaden Shackelford’s season-best 27 points in the contest. Guard Jahvon Quinerly remained hot with 15 points and three assists, while forward Alex Reese added 10 points and a team-leading plus/minus of +23 in the victory.
Vanderbilt (6-12, 2-10 SEC) was led by Scotty Pippen Jr. who went for 24 points, while Dylan Disu collected 17 points and 15 boards in the loss
Alabama’s seven seniors were honored following the contest, including: Tyler Barnes, Jordan Bruner, Britton Johnson, Herbert Jones, John Petty Jr., Alex Reese and Kendall Wall.
Coach Nate Oats Postgame Comments
“We’re fortunate to get the win. I’m happy for the seniors on Senior Day to get the win. I’m proud of them for what they’ve done for the program. It’s their team. I tell these guys numerous times that I’ve been coaching a long time and I have a lot of years left in coaching. You guys have limited time left to play this game. This is your team. You’re going to decide what you get out of it and these seniors have done a good job of taking ownership of this team. I’m proud of these seniors. We’re one win away from clinching at least a share of the regular season title, which would be huge for this senior group. I want to highlight Alex Reese’s play. I thought he was great. He led the team in plus/minus (+23). He hit the two threes and the huge three in the second half. He played well. We have four scholarship seniors and I was going to start those four. Reese came to me and was like, ‘No, let’s start Tyler [Barnes] instead of me. I was like let’s start Tyler and you. With seven seniors it’s hard, but with these guys and the respect that they have for Tyler [Barnes] is incredible. I thought the start of the game was good. It shows where Reese is. He’s about the team and not about himself. It’s good to get rewarded with a good game. Of course, [John] Petty is having an unbelievable year with being National Player of the Week earlier. [Jordan] Bruner comes in with his leadership and basketball IQ. He wasn’t at 100%, but it was good to give him some playing time before we head to Arkansas. He didn’t play great numbers-wise, but it was great to have him back on the floor. The value that each of these seniors brings is incredible.”
Team Stats
- In a game that featured nine ties and 12 lead changes, Alabama came away with the victory and is now just one win away from clinching at least a share of the SEC regular season championship, which would mark the first such title in 19 years dating back to the 2001-02 squad
- Tyler Barnes earned his first career start on Senior Day while all seven seniors saw playing time
- Shackelford and Quinerly combined to score 43 of the Tide’s season high 57 points off the bench, outscoring the Commodores by 47 in the stat (57-10)
- Keon Ellis also had a solid game with eight points, a season-high nine rebounds and three assists while also earning the Hard Hat award
- Vanderbilt shot 43.9 percent from the field and 43.5 percent (10-of-23) from beyond the arc while the Tide shot 42.6 percent from the field and 25.6 percent (10-of-39) from three-point range
- Alabama narrowly won the battle of the boards, 37-36, while also outscoring Vandy 32-26 in the paint
Gallery: 02-20-21 MBB vs Vandy
First Half
- After being even 5-5, Vanderbilt held the 10-8 advantage at the under 16 media time out
- Alabama led 13-12 before a 5-0 mini run by the Commodores gave them a 17-13 lead with 13:11 left in the opening stanza
- The Tide trailed 20-18 before another 5-0 spurt by Vanderbilt pushed the lead to its largest of the half at 25-18 at the 9:57 mark
- A smooth layup by Shackelford jumpstarted Alabama’s 9-0 run to take back the 27-25 lead with 4:04 left in the first half
- Vanderbilt went up 29-27 with 2:26 to go, but the Tide closed the second half out with a 6-0 run to take the 33-29 lead into the locker room
- Alabama outscored the Commodores 15-4 over the final 9:57 of the second half with eight points coming from Shackelford
Second Half
- The Commodores began the second half with a 9-1 run to go up 38-34 before Alabama exploded with a 10-0 run that included five points off of a Vandy technical foul and ensuing three-point shot
- A thunderous dunk by Reese highlighted the 15-2 run and gave Alabama its largest lead of the game thus far at 53-43 with 11:20 to play
- In all, the Tide’s 19-4 run lasted 4:08 and forced the Commodores into a time out with 9:59 remaining and Alabama leading 57-45
- Vanderbilt would not go away and answered with an 18-6 run to take back the lead, 65-63
- Behind Jones, Alabama responded with a 7-0 spurt to take the lead for good, making it 70-65 at the under 4 media time out
- After Vandy cut the Tide’s lead to 73-70, Quinerly drained a three pointer to extend Alabama’s lead 77-70 with 1:34 left
- The Tide knocked down key free throws in the final minute to earn the 82-78 victory
Next Up
- The Tide takes to the road for its first of two away games when it travels to take on Arkansas on Wednesday, Feb. 24. The game is set for an 8 p.m. CT tipoff in Fayetteville, Ark. and can be watched on ESPN2.
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