FINAL: Alabama 83, Florida 70
Wednesday, January 5, 2022 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
AT THE BUZZER
No. 15 ALABAMA 83, FLORIDA 70
No. 15 ALABAMA 83, FLORIDA 70
WHAT HAPPENED: Forward Juwan Gary and point guard Jahvon Quinerly each scored 19 points and led all five starters into double-figure scoring while the 15th-ranked Crimson Tide defense forced the Gators into a season-high 20 turnovers in their victory Wednesday night at Exactech Arena. 'Bama, the defending Southeastern Conference regular-season and tournament champion, took control of the game with a 15-1 run midway through the second half while UF was missing its first eight shots out of the locker room. The Tide won despite being out-shot by the Gators (42.3 to 40.3 percent) because they converted those turnovers into 21 points and worked the Gators for a whopping 20 offensive rebounds, most of them on long caroms off missed 3-point shots that led to spread-floor scoring chances. Gary was 7-for-11 from the floor, while Quinerly went just 7-for-18 shooting (only 2-for-9 from deep), but also had five rebounds and five assists. Guards James Shackleford (14 points) and Keon Ellis (13 points, 4 steals), out of Eustis, Fla., joined center Charles Bediako (11 points, 7 rebounds) in double digits, as the Tide handed the Gators a loss in their SEC opener. The Gators, who got 19 points and seven rebounds from senior forward Colin Castleton, led by as many as seven in the first half, but the Tide came back quickly, with the help of a rare five-point play (a made 3-pointer, with a foul called beneath the basket, plus two free throws). UF still led by three at halftime thanks to 50-percent shooting and in spite of just 3-for-10 from the 3-point line. Alabama trailed by just three despite making only 31.4 percent, but made five 3s. The Tide led by one five minutes into the second when they took off on that 15-1 run that was aided by UF's stone-cold shooting carelessness with the basketball. For UF, forward CJ Felder had season highs of 12 points and six rebounds off the bench and guard Myreon Jones had 11 points and seven rebounds, with three second-half 3-pointers. Three different Florida players had at least four turnovers. Four different Alabama players had at least two steals. UF missed 10 free throws, going 18-for-28 (.643) from the line, compared to Alabama's 16 of 19 (.842).
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Alabama is not the team it was last year, but the Tide will be heard from this season. Their guards wreak havoc on the perimeter and the Gators, with their lack of ball security, played right into their hands.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: The Gators went from the 3:05 mark of the first half (when Felder hit a 3-pointer) to 11:45 of the second (when Jones hit a 3) without making a field goal. That's 11 minutes and 18 seconds. Along the way, they went 0-for-10 from the floor and turned the ball over nine times.
UP NEXT: It only gets tougher for Florida (9-4, 0-1), which may have the toughest three-game stretch to open conference play of any team in the country. The Gators stay in the SEC West with a road trip at No. 9 Auburn (13-1, 2-0), winner of 10 straight and led by 6-foot-10 freshman forward Jabari Smith, the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. UF hasn't been a top-10 team on the road in 19 years. Oh, and the game after that is a home visit from No. 21 LSU, which beat Kentucky Tuesday night.
Players Mentioned
SEC Media Day: Coach Golden 10-15-25
Wednesday, October 15
CJ Ingram Media Availability 10-7-25
Tuesday, October 07
Alex Lloyd Media Availability 10-7-25
Tuesday, October 07
Urban Klavzar Media Availability 10-7-25
Tuesday, October 07
