TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Despite having one of their worst offensive halves of the season, the Crimson Tide were able to pull out a win against one of the most talented teams in the country on Saturday.
Arkansas dominated the first half in just about every way possible. The Tide made just ten of 30 shot attempts in the first half, turning the ball over 10 times and shooting just one for 10 from beyond the arc. Alabama trailed 37-28 at the half, seemingly unable to find any rhythm or momentum offensively.
The Tide fixed all of their problems besides shooting in the second half. The intensity and physicality increased, and it reflected on the scoreboard. Alabama finished the game out-rebounding the Razorbacks by 11, racking up 48 total rebounds, including 14 offensive boards.
Brandon Miller absolutely took over in the second half as well, finishing with 24 points and six rebounds. Miller led the Tide to a 10-0 run early in the second half to give them a 51-46 lead. The Crimson Tide never trailed again.
Alabama scored 58 second half points compared to just 28 in the first half and survived a late push from Arkansas to squeak out a three point win.
The bench production was some of the best we’ve seen from Alabama this season, and was one of the key factors in the Tide’s win. The bench scored 33 points, with impactful performances from Jahvon Quinerly, Dom Welch, and Nick Pringle. Quinerly had arguably his best performance of the season with 16 points, seven assists and three rebounds. The scoring and playmaking of Quinerly, along with the defense and intensity from Welch and Pringle was crucial for Tide on Saturday.
“We don’t win the game if he doesn’t play the way he does in the second half. We wouldn’t have had a chance,” Coach Nate Oats said, praising Quinerly.
Arguably making the Tide’s victory even more impressive, was the fact that they were able to pull out a win despite shooting just 3/22 from beyond the arc. Being able to beat good teams while going through shooting slumps is not something we’ve seen from past Alabama teams. This team does not let shooting slumps impact their physicality and intensity, which is something that needs to continue heading into postseason play.
Coach Oats acknowledged the shooting woes saying, “For us to shoot as poorly as we did from three, and still be able to win, it shows you we can win in a lot of ways.”
Winning in a lot of ways is just what the Tide have done this season, and it has helped them get to 25 wins on the year. Alabama improved to a record of 25-4 with a record of 15-1 in SEC play following the win on Saturday.
The Crimson Tide will be back in action on Wednesday, playing in their final home game of the season in a highly anticipated rematch against Auburn.
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