Alabama
19-10,9-7SEC
South Carolina
17-11,8-8SEC
No. 24/25 Alabama Notches 90-71 Win Over South Carolina on Senior Night
2/26/2022 8:44:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Five Crimson Tide players scored in double figures, led by Jaden Shackelford’s 21-point effort
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The No. 24/25 Alabama men's basketball team posted a strong first half in a 90-71 win over South Carolina Saturday night in Coleman Coliseum. With the win, the Crimson Tide takes sole possession of fifth place in the SEC standings with two regular season games remaining.
Alabama (19-10, 9-7 SEC) has now won seven consecutive games over the Gamecocks, including nine of the last 10 contests played in the series.
Guard Jaden Shackelford led all scorers with 21 points on the night, while four other Crimson Tide members posted double-digit scoring efforts. Guard Jahvon Quinerly added 20 points with an efficient 7-of-9 from the floor and 4-of-5 from deep. Senior Keon Ellis posted 17 points, seven boards and four assists while the freshmen duo of Charles Bediako (11) and JD Davison (10) both reached double-digit scoring totals.
Following the contest, the Crimson Tide honored three graduating student-athletes: Keon Ellis, Jahvon Quinerly and James Rojas
South Carolina (17-11, 8-8 SEC) was led by Erik Stevenson's 17 points, six assists and five rebounds.
Head Coach Nate Oats Postgame Comments
"Great win for senior night. I'm really happy for the five guys that we started. Looking at the three guys we honored after the game - Quinerly, Ellis and Rojas - and what they've accomplished in the two years they have played here. That's arguably the best two-year span we've had here in close to 30 years. They've taken this program to new heights from where it was when they got here. I couldn't be happier for them and just thankful for their help getting it here. Rojas has battled some injuries, but he just brings a toughness to the team that they miss when he's not there. Quinerly has been dynamic in our offense. Between Kira, Quinerly and JD, obviously we've had some really good point guards around the offense we want to run. Keon has just been consistent on both sides of the ball for both years he has been here. I'm happy we got to win, obviously. The start of the second half wasn't what we wanted. We've got to mature a little bit and play just as hard with a 23-point lead as we do when we are up by six. That's the area we have got to grow, but I do think we showed some maturity and came out, got some stops, got some buckets and opened it back up which showed a lot about our team."
Team Stats
- The 2001-02 SEC regular season championship team was honored at halftime
- The Crimson Tide out rebounded South Carolina 38-30, including a 13-8 mark on the offensive end
- After Alabama started five seniors: Quinerly, Ellis, Tyler Barnes, Britton Johnson and Rojas, the Crimson Tide bench outscored the Gamecocks 48-16, with Shackelford posting 21 of those 48
- Alabama posted 24 points off 19 South Carolina turnovers, while holding the Gamecocks to 10 points off 17 turnovers
Thank you seniors????#RollTide | #BlueCollarBasketball pic.twitter.com/uikvToidHh
— Alabama Men's Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) February 27, 2022
First Half
- After South Carolina opened with an early 5-3 lead, Alabama went on an 11-0 run to take a 14-5 advantage at the first media timeout
- Leading by six at 23-17, Alabama scored seven unanswered to extend its lead to a 30-17 advantage at the 7:30 mark, jump-starting a big UA run
- The Crimson Tide would continue its run to make it an 18-3 run over the span of 6:58 to give UA its largest lead at 22 points, 42-20, with just under four minutes to play in the first half
- The Crimson Tide shot 52 percent (15-of-29) from the floor and 50 percent (8-of-16) from three to take a 50-27 lead at the break
- Quinerly connected on 6-of-7 attempts from the floor and 4-of-5 from deep, leading the team with 18 points at the half
Second Half
- South Carolina cut the Crimson Tide lead to 11 after opening the half on a 16-4 run
- The Gamecocks continued the run to cut Alabama's lead to six points, 58-52, with just under 12 minutes to play in the second half by scoring 25 of the half's first 33 points (25-8 run)
- After trading buckets, with UA holding a 60-54 lead, Ellis's three-pointer jumpstarted a 26-8 run for the Tide that built the lead back up to 24 points at 86-62 with just under four minutes left to play
- Jaden Shackelford (10) and Keon Ellis (10) led the Crimson Tide in scoring in the second half
Great to have our 2001-22 SEC Championship team back in Coleman today??#RollTide | #BlueCollarBasketball pic.twitter.com/fNnMOjHN2l
— Alabama Men's Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) February 27, 2022
Up Next
- Alabama will host Texas A&M on Wednesday for its final home game of the season. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
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.
