Alabama Men’s Basketball Outlasts Jacksonville State in Overtime, 67-59

The Alabama’s men’s basketball team won in overtime against Jacksonville State on Tuesday, 67-59. The Tide, which held a double-figure lead in the second half, used a 10-0 run in overtime to take control of the game and improve to 8-3 on the season.

Arthur Edwards led Alabama with 16 points to go along with five rebounds and three assists, while Riley Norris scored 10 points and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds for his second career double-double. Jimmie Taylor also had a solid game, going for 13 points, six rebounds and a season-high five blocked shots.

After starting the second half 6-of-10 from the field and take a 46-33 lead with 11:13 remaining in regulation, Alabama went cold, missing its final 11 attempts and allowing the Gamecocks to pull back to a 55-55 tie. The Tide had a chance to win in the final seconds, but senior guard Retin Obasohan missed both potential game-winning free throw chances with 2.3 seconds left on the clock.

After allowing an early bucket in the overtime period, Alabama scored 10 unanswered points while going a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line after making just 20-of-35 in regulation. The Gamecocks would not score again until there were 29 seconds remaining.

The first half featured seven lead changes and two ties before Jacksonville State (4-11) took a 29-27 lead to the locker room. Alabama shot 43 percent and was outrebounded 20-13, including a 10-3 disadvantage on the offensive glass. The Tide stayed in the game by forcing eight Gamecock turnovers in the first frame alone.

Alabama started the second half with a 19-4 run over the first 8:47 to take a 46-33 lead, its largest of the game, and seemed on its way to a victory. However, the Gamecocks immediately answered with a 13-3 run of their own to trim the lead to 49-46 with 2:14 left to play. Jacksonville State continued to claw its way back as JaQuail Townser hit a pair of threes in the final minute to tie the game at 55-55 with 32 seconds left.

Jared Hamilton scored 16 points, all in the first half, to lead Jacksonville State, while Townser chipped in 14. Malcolm Drumwright, who entered the game averaging a team-best 16.1 ppg, was held scoreless but did pull down six rebounds.

Next up, the Tide will wrap up non-conference play on Saturday, Jan. 2 against Norfolk State. The contest will air on SEC Network at 1 p.m. CT.