The 4th ranked Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 90-69 on Saturday at Coleman Coliseum. The Tide improved to 19-3 overall and 8-1 in SEC play. The Dogs fell to 15-7 overall and 3-6 in league play. Bama will have a week off before taking the court again next Saturday.
For the third straight game the Tide sent out Mark Sears, Chris Youngblood, Grant Nelson, Jarin Stevenson, and Clifford Omoruyi to start the game. Bama turned the ball over their first three possessions without even getting a shot off. Finally Nelson made two free throws, but the second one was taken away because of a lane violation, and Stevenson hit a three pointer for a 4-0 Tide lead.
Georgia was not able to take advantage of the turnovers they were gifted, most were unforced, and soon the Tide began to hit their stride. Aden Holloway entered the game and hit a long three pointer, followed by another from long range from Aiden Sherrell for a 16-10 lead with 13:50 left in the half. Sherrell knocked in a pair of free throws and ANOTHER three pointer and Bama led 21-10 with 12 minutes left. Youngblood added one from distance for a 24-10 margin. Then things went south for a while. At this point in the game the Tide had already committed nine turnovers.
Over four minutes later the Tide had not added to their total and the Dogs had cut the lead to 24-16 with 7:01 left. Bama picked things up with a Sherrell dunk, a Sears three, and free throws from Stevenson, Sears, Nelson, and Philon to close out the half. The Tide took a lead of 39-28 at the break.
The Tide shot 11-26 for 42% with 6-14 for 43% from three point range, and made 11-14 free throws. Bama grabbed 30 rebounds, dished eight assists, blocked five shots, had two steals, and turned it over 12 times. Sherrell led the way with 12 points while Sears added seven of his own. Omoruyi had six rebounds at the break.
Georgia took 37 shots in the half but made only 10 for 27% with 1-10 from deep. The Dogs made only seven of 13 free throws, had 19 rebounds, one assist, two blocks, seven steals, and only four turnovers. Super freshman Asa Newell led in scoring with six points, but shot only 1-8 from the field.
Coach Nate stuck with the same starting lineup in the second half. Nelson and Sears came out on fire after the break. Nelson buried an early three pointer and Sears was finally able to get in the lane and draw fouls like he so often does. UGA coach Mike White drew a technical foul after a tie up situation, but rather than lighting a fire under his own players, Tide players seemed to take it to heart. Sears made the two technical free throws and Mo Dioubate slammed one home on the inbounds play. After a Dog turnover Sears nailed a long range three and suddenly the Tide had control at 59-43 with 12:58 left in the game.
Youngblood, Holloway, and Stevenson all added three pointers and the Tide cruised home to the 90-69 win over the visitors from Athens. Oats was even to get Max Scharnowski in for the last couple of minutes of the game.
In the second half Bama shot 19-31 for 61% with 5-12 for 42% from three, and 8-9 at the free throw line. Overall the Tide shot 30-57 for 54% 11-26 from deep for 42%, and 19-23 for 83% at the charity stripe. Sears finished with 20 points, five rebounds, six assists, and six turnovers. Nelson had another double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds to go with two assists, and five blocked shots. Sherrell had his best game of the season, playing 20 minutes and scoring 12 points with seven rebounds an assist, a block, and a steal. Youngblood and Holloway were also both in double figures with 10 points each. Omoruyi scored six and grabbed 11 rebounds. Stevenson added eight points, making both of his three point attempts. Dioubate earned another hard hat award in only 11 minutes of action and scored six points with seven rebounds, an assist, a block, and a steal.
UGA shot 17-39 for 44% in the second half, including 3-13 for 23% from three. The Dogs only made 11-23 free throws for 48%, had 36 rebounds, although 16 were on the offensive end. Georgia had five assists, four blocks, 12 steals, and six turnovers. Newell got right at his averages with 16 points and seven rebounds. RJ Godfrey was his only teammate in double figures with 10 points.
The Tide keeps on keeping on, winning their fifth game in a row to remain one game behind Auburn in the SEC standings. The Bulldogs mucked the game up enough to keep Bama from putting them away in the first half, but the run in the first several minutes of the second half secured the victory for the Tide and they coasted home. The defensive effort was one of the better of the year for Bama. The 69 points allowed was the lowest total for the Tide in SEC play.
Sears has bounced back the last two contests since his second half benching in the LSU game. Labaron Philon and Derrion Reid played, but were both hobbled by recent injuries. Sherrell is making strides and is growing into being a piece that can be counted on. The ability to mix and match lineups has served Oats well. All ten available scholarship played 11 minutes or more, with six playing at least 20 minutes each. Overall a good win over a team you are suppose to beat.
Next up the Tide gets a break in midweek and will play again on February 8th at Arkansas. The game will tip at 7 p.m.CT and will be shown on ESPN. The Hogs are coming off a big win over Kentucky in Lexington in coach Cal’s return home.
