Alabama basketball blows big lead to suffer heartbreaking loss at Florida

Trailing by two with 29 seconds left in double overtime, Alabama guard Kira Lewis Jr. had his driving layup sent back by Florida forward Kerry Blackshear Jr. The decisive block served as the final blow in a gut-wrenching defeat for the Crimson Tide basketball team.

Despite leading by as many as 21 points in the first half, Alabama let an SEC road win slip through its fingers as it fell to Florida 104-98 in its conference opener. The Crimson Tide (7-6, 0-1 in the SEC) saw its three-game winning streak snapped as the Gators (9-4, 1-0) capped of an epic comeback inside Stephen C. O'Connell Center on Saturday night.

Florida’s late-game run was spurred on by a corner 3 from forward Keyontae Johnson to cut Alabama’s lead to 80-75 with 1:55 play in regulation. Blackshear hit a 3 near the top of the arc to trim the lead to 83-81 with 25.7 seconds remaining. Gators’ guard Noah Locke then stole an inbound pass before taking the ball to the basket to tie the game at 83 and ultimately send it to overtime.

Florida nearly polished off Alabama in the first extra period. However, Crimson Tide guard John Petty Jr. saw his corner 3 bounce up off the rim and into the net to tie the game with 16 seconds remaining. On Florida’s ensuing possession, Blackshear’s last-second putback did not beat the buzzer, sending the game into another extra period. Although, Alabama’s heartbreak was inevitable as the Gators closed out the game with a 6-0 run in double overtime.

After making 7 of 14 shots from beyond the arc in the first half, Alabama finished the game 13 of 34 from 3-point range. The Crimson Tide also struggled from the foul line, making just 68 percent (23 of 34) of its free-throw attempts.

Six Alabama players were in double figures, including Petty, who led the team with 19 points. Lewis had 17 points on a dismal 7 of 25 shooting, while Herbert Jones finished a rebound shy of a double-double with 15 points and nine boards. Freshman guard Jaden Shackelford earned the start and contributed 11 points, while James “Beetle” Bolden had 15 points and Alex Reese had 14 points off the bench.

Blackshear, a preseason All-SEC first-teamer, finished with 24 points and 16 rebounds despite picking up his fourth foul with 11:36 left in the game. Andrew Nembhard had 25 points, while Locke had 18 for the Gators.

While Blackshear managed to avoid fouling out, Alabama saw Jones, Galin Smith and Javian Davis all exit with five fouls before the end of the game.

The Crimson Tide was rolling early on as it used a 14-0 run to jump out to a 23-11 lead. A 3 from Reese later in the half capped off an 18-3 run to give the Crimson Tide a 46-25 advantage with 2:19 left before the break. Despite its early dominance, Alabama allowed Florida to chip its way back into the game as the Gators closed out the half on a 7-0 run. Florida would continue to slice away at its deficit throughout the second half before coming alive late.

Alabama head coach Nate Oats made two changes to his typical starting lineup, electing to go small by replacing Reese (6-foot-9, 245 pounds) with Shackelford (6-foot-3, 195 pounds). Fresh off a career-best performance against Richmond, Shackelford repaid his coach’s confidence instantly, hitting two 3s in the game’s opening three minutes.

Oats’ other alteration came in switching Davis, a freshman, with a more experienced option in Smith, a junior. Smith finished the game with seven points and three rebounds, while Davis contributed zero points and four rebounds.

Alabama will hold its SEC home-opener against Mississippi State (9-4, 0-1) on Wednesday inside of Coleman Coliseum. The Bulldogs lost to No. 8 Auburn earlier Saturday to open up SEC play.

Alabama and Mississippi State split their two meetings last year with the Crimson Tide winning 83-79 in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and the Bulldogs claiming an 81-62 victory in Starkville, Miss. Mississippi State is led by first-team Preseason All-SEC member Reggie Perry. The 6-foot-10 sophomore forward entered Saturday averaging 15.4 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.

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