Alabama needed every second of its senior day matinee to survive an upset scare Saturday by the worst team in the SEC.
The Crimson Tide trailed for much of the first half and as late as the 5:37 mark of the second half before pulling away late from Vanderbilt to win, 82-78.
“[We’re] fortunate to get a win,” coach Nate Oats said.
It was Alabama’s 13th win in SEC play, its most since the 1986-87 season. One more win would clinch at least a share of the regular-season conference title, something Alabama has not done since 2002.
The key run for Alabama came after it fell behind by four points early in the second half. The 14-3 stretch put the home team up by 10 points, a lead they later stretched to 12.
That forced Vanderbilt to claw back — and they did, taking a two-point lead later in the half — but another 7-0 run by Alabama provided some needed breathing room. Another surge by the Commodores in the final minute kept it a one-possession game until Alabama made a free throw with two seconds remaining.
“We didn’t close well,” Oats said. “I wasn’t happy with the close. We closed well enough to win, but it wasn’t ideal.”
Vanderbilt (6-12, 2-10 in SEC) entered Saturday at the bottom of the SEC standings, while Alabama (18-5, 13-1 in SEC) was ranked No. 7 in NET and No. 8 in the Associated Press poll.
The Commodores, who led by as many as seven points during its first-half surge, nearly pulled off their second consecutive upset in Coleman Coliseum, having won in the building last March.
Saturday’s game marked the surprise return of center Jordan Bruner, who had not played since Jan. 13 knee surgery and was expected back next week. Bruner received the start along with senior walk-on Tyler Barnes, the first of his four-year career.
Less than an hour before the game, Reese approached Oats with the idea of starting Barnes over him. Oats decided to start both, using a zone defense to help compensate for having a walk-on on the floor.
“I thought the start of the game was good, and I thought that showed where Reese is at,” Oats said. “He’s all about the right things. He’s about the team. He’s not about himself.
“Reese’s attitude has been unbelievable. He’s been exactly what he need him to be. He’s not making shots at the level maybe that I know he can, but he plays hard and his attitude has been great.”
Barnes, a Kentucky native, played the first three minutes.
“I could tell by his face when I told him he was going to start, he was super excited,” Oats said.
Bruner played 19 minutes, scoring one point while grabbing six rebounds, blocking one shot and making a steal.
“His stat line wasn’t great but he hasn’t played for over a month, so I expected him to be a little rusty,” Oats said. “It was big for us to get him game minutes before we go to Arkansas and play.”
Senior stalwarts Herb Jones and John Petty were among seven honored in a post-game ceremony, but it was some of the team’s less experienced players providing the offense to get Alabama past Vanderbilt. Sophomore guard Jaden Shackelford scored a season-high 27 points, while sophomore Jahvon Quinerly added 15 points, including a critical late-game three pointer.
Overall, Alabama’s three-point shooting performance was among its worst of the season. It shot 10-of-39 (25.6 percent), including a stretch of 20 misses in 22 attempts.
“I had no problem taking 39 threes. If they’re good shots, take them,” Oats said. “But we’ve got to have our shooters knocking down some shots. We’ve got to get back in the gym. We’ve got to work on it. We’ve got to start making some threes.”
Alabama has won nine consecutive games in Coleman Coliseum, not having lost since Dec. 19 against Western Kentucky.
Alabama next plays Wednesday night at Arkansas, which lost by 31 points in Tuscaloosa last month. Beating the Razorbacks would clinch the regular-season title outright for Alabama.
“I’ve seen [Arkansas] play enough since we’ve played them. They’re playing significantly better than they were when we played them here,” Oats said. “They’re moving the ball great. Their defense is markedly improved. They’re playing well. Their record [17-5, 9-4 in SEC] indicates it.
“They’re the second-best team in the league right now behind us. To be honest with you, if they had played today, based on the way we played today, they probably would’ve looked better than us. We’ve got our hands full. It’s on the road at their place.
“We’re going to see if our leadership, the guys on the team can get this thing right because our defense was not good today. If it’s like it was today at Arkansas, we’re not winning the game. We’ve got to get better defensively and make some shots or they’re going to beat us.”
Mike Rodak is an Alabama beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @mikerodak.
