Alabama Shoots Lights Out in Oxford To Get Back In Win Column
The Alabama Crimson Tide (15-9, 5-6) went on the road on Wednesday night and had its best shooting night in weeks defeating the Ole Miss Rebels 97-83 to stop a three-game conference skid.
The Tide was led by guard Jaden Shackelford who set a new career high with 30 points and converted on 8-of-13 from beyond the arc to set the tone for the Alabama shooting effort.
Shackelford made five of the Tide's first six 3-point buckets in the first half and helped Alabama orchestrate a 30-8 run over the last 9-minutes of the first half to go into halftime with an 11-point lead.
“I thought our guys showed a lot of fight. Ole Miss came out hitting shots and got up by as many as 11. Instead of getting discouraged, our guys continued to play hard. We made some defensive adjustments and it obviously helped that we shot the ball well. I think we finished on a 30-8 run to end the half and showed some real resolve to fight our way back in it," said Alabama head coach Nate Oats.
The Rebels didn't go away, but instead came out of halftime with a 9-0 run to keep the game close. The Crimson Tide absorbed the Rebels' best punch but was able to push its lead back out to double digits due to efficient play on the offensive end.
Forward Noah Gurley scored 10 second half points and both Shackelford and freshman JD Davison each scored 11 points in the second half to secure the Tide's fifth conference win of the season.
Gurley's contribution went beyond scoring on Wednesday as he also won the hardhat award, securing seven rebounds and two blocks in just 17 minutes of action.
The Crimson Tide will try to keep the momentum going on Saturday as its next matchup is against the Arkansas Razorbacks at 11 a.m. Pregame coverage of Saturdays contest can be heard starting at 9 a.m. on Tide 100.9 FM.