TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Herbert Jones scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to key the Alabama men’s basketball team to an 83-80 comeback win in Coleman Coliseum Tuesday night. Furman led by as many as 16 points and for all but 1:18 of the contest, however, with the Crimson Tide used a 15-9 run over the last six minutes to secure the victory.
Jones added four assists and two blocks to his fifth career double-double and second this season. Jaden Shackelford finished with 13 points while James Rojas contributed a season-high 11 points and tied his season-high with seven rebounds. Juwan Gary finished with a season high of 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting and added three rebounds.
The Crimson Tide dominated the paint, scoring 40 points inside and grabbing 48 boards while holding the Paladins to 28 points in the paint and 27 rebounds. Alabama also dominated the offensive glass, turning a 21-5 offensive rebounding advantage into a huge 24-3 edge in second chance points.
Furman was led by Mike Bothwell (23) and Clay Mounce (21) who combined to score 44 points.
Coach Nate Oats Postgame Comments
“That was a big win. Furman is a really good team. I thought our guys showed a lot of fight coming back from down 16. I thought our effort o close out the first half and a majority the second half was much better. I thought Rojas gave us a huge spark. We kind of went small and found a lineup that could guard them a little better. Our defense wasn’t very good tonight, especially to start the game. We’ve got to do a better job coming out to play defensively, but I thought we showed a lot of character and fight. We didn’t shoot the ball particularly well but we figured out a way to score enough points. The offensive boards were big tonight, outscoring them 24-3 where last game it was 15-0 the other way. It was a huge point of emphasis in rebounding and we outrebounded them by 21. I thought Juwan Gary gave us some great minutes and John Petty’s effort was great. He stayed engaged the whole game even though he didn’t shoot the ball well so we have to give him a lot of credit as well. I like where we are attitude-wise but we have to do a better job coming out of the gate.”
Team Stats
- Furman took its largest lead of the game at 16 points (32-16) with 8:32 left in the half and led for 37:12 of the contest.
- Alabama took its first lead of the game on a Rojas three-pointer with 1:18 remaining and never relinquished it
- The Crimson Tide dominated the boards, outrebounding the Paladins 48-27, leading to Alabama scoring 40 points in the paint and 24 second-chance points
- Alabama’s bench contributed 34 points in the win compared to just 13 from Furman.
- Alabama outscored Furman 46-33 while shooting 50 percent from the field in the second half to overcome the Paladins
- With 8:12 to go in the game, Furman’s Mounce fouled after scoring 21 points
- Herbert Jones recorded his fifth career double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds with four assists and two blocks in 33 minutes of action
First Half
- Furman jumped out to a 20-14 lead to begin the game and then used a 12-2 run to pull ahead 32-16 with 8:21 left to play in the first half
- Alabama responded with a 10-6 spurt to trim the Paladin lead to 10 with 4:57 left before the half
- With Furman leading by 15 at the 2:15 mark, the Tide scored the last five points of the first half to cut the differential to 10 points, 47-37, as the teams went into the locker room
- Furman shot an efficient 62.1 percent (18-of-29) from the field and hit eight threes (8-of-17), while Alabama shot 40.0 percent (14-of-35)
- The Paladins’ Bothwell, Gurley, and Mounce combined to score 38 of the team’s 47 points in the first half
Second Half
- Alabama outscored Furman, 10-7, in the early part of the first half, however the Paladins scored four straight to lead 58-47 with 14:56 remaining in the game
- With 8:12 to play and trailing 70-61, the Tide went on a 12-4 run to pull within one point of the Paladins at 74-73 with 3:42 left in the game
- Trailing 76-73, Alabama scored eight straight points to take an 81-76 lead with 28 seconds left to play
- Despite missing several free throws down the stretch, the Tide would go on to defeat Furman, 83-80
- Alabama knocked down five of its last six field goals while holding the Paladins to just one of their last 10
- Alabama outrebounded Furman 29-13 after the intermission
Up Next
- The Tide continues its four game homestand on Dec. 19, taking on Western Kentucky at home in Coleman Coliseum
- The contest is slated for 1 p.m. CT and can be watched on ESPNU
