TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – No. 4 Alabama maintained second place in the SEC as the Crimson Tide took down Georgia 90-69.
A 14-0 Alabama run eight minutes into the game set the tone early for the Crimson Tide. While Georgia got the Alabama lead down to five, the Crimson Tide attacked the basket at the end of the first half and kept its foot on the gas pedal the rest of the way.
“Unbelievable effort from our guys,” Alabama head coach Nate Oats said. “Really the effort we have been looking for. I thought we played really hard and out rebounded a really good team by 16.”
The leader of the big run in the first half was freshman forward Aiden Sherrell. Sherrell knocked down two 3-pointers and added a couple free throws to help build the double-digit Alabama lead. Sherrell scored in double figures for the first time this season, finishing the game with 10 points and five rebounds.
“My teammates found me and I was created for others. It just all comes with the work that we’ve been putting into practice,” Sherrell said.
As a team Alabama was firing on all cylinders. The Crimson Tide shot 53% from the floor Saturday, hitting 30 of its 57 shot attempts, including shooting 42% from beyond the arc. Alabama point guard Mark Sears led all scorers with 20 points on 6-for-14 shooting. Alabama forward Grant Nelson finished with a double-double as he scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
“My main focus is the defensive end and sticking to our assignments defensively. I feel like the offense for us as a team kind of comes naturally, but I just go out there and work as hard as I can,” Nelson said.
Defensively, Alabama did its job. The Crimson Tide held Georgia to just 35% from the field and forced the Bulldogs to shoot 4-for-23 from the 3-point line. Nelson blocked five of Georgia’s shots, a season-high for the Alabama forward. Nelson became the only SEC player to score at least 16 points, 10 rebounds and block five shots when playing under 30 minutes.
“Our post defense was better and our pick and roll defense and our overall effort in general was better,” Oats said.
Alabama was in control of the glass throughout the game. The Crimson Tide out rebounded the Bulldogs 52-36, including being +23 in defensive rebounds with 43 of them. Alabama center Clifford Omoruyi led the team with 11 rebounds on the day.
Perhaps the one thing that did not go Alabama’s way was the turnover battle. The Crimson Tide turned the ball over 20 times compared to just forcing six Georgia turnovers. Despite losing by 14 in the turnovers, the Alabama defense stood tall, allowing just nine points off turnovers to the Bulldogs. Oats knows that if the turnovers do not get fixed, it could come back to haunt the Crimson Tide later on.
“We will spend a lot of time on Monday and Tuesday figuring out how not to turn the ball over. We’ve had this issue way too many times,” Oats said. “It’s going to come back to bite us if we don’t get it fixed, particularly on the road with teams that can take advantage of it a little bit more.”
With the win, Alabama keeps pace at the top of the SEC as it moves to 8-1 in conference play for its fifth consecutive win. The Crimson Tide are alone in second place of the conference as an impending matchup with No. 1 Auburn looms in two weeks.
Up next, the Crimson Tide will take the midweek off this upcoming week before heading on the road to Fayetteville for a matchup with the Arkansas Razorbacks next Saturday. Alabama and Arkansas will tip off at 7 p.m. CT.
