TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Jahvon Quinerly and Jaden Shackelford couldn’t be stopped while Keon Ellis still couldn’t do any wrong. After surviving a first-half lull Friday night, No. 14 Alabama basketball resumed its blazing-hot start to the season, rolling to a 104-88 victory over South Dakota State inside Coleman Coliseum.
Alabama (2-0) allowed South Dakota State (1-1) to hang around during the first half but quickly provided separation with a 10-0 run coming out of the break. After the visitors chipped away at the lead, the Tide snuffed out any chance of a comeback, using an 11-0 run to extend its advantage to 79-63 with 7:44 remaining. Alabama didn’t look back from there, continuing a promising start to this year’s campaign.
“We told our guys they’d be a good team, and they gave us everything we could handle,” Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats said of South Dakota State. “They outscored us in transition. They exposed a lot of stuff we need to work on. That’s why we play these games though. It’s good that we could get a win while we got plenty of stuff exposed.
“I thought offensively we were pretty good tonight, especially late first half through the second half. The defense has a long way to go, but the good thing is we have some time to work on it.”
After recording just 9 points during Alabama’s season-opening win over Louisiana Tech on Tuesday, Jahvon Quinerly turned in a team-high 26 points and eight assists Friday night. The Tide’s other starting guards weren’t too shabby either as Jaden Shackelford recorded 23 points and five rebounds while Ellis netted his first double-double in an Alabama uniform with 15 points and 13 rebounds.
After posting a plus-37 contribution margin during Tuesday’s opener, Ellis led the Tide with a plus-26 in the category Friday. The senior nearly had a double-double before the break, tallying 7 points and nine rebounds in the first half.
“Keon Ellis has been unbelievably good for us,” Oats said.
Meanwhile, Darius Miles continued his surprisingly-hot start to the season, scoring 13 points while shooting 3 of 4 from beyond the arc. The sophomore made all four of his shots, including three attempts from deep, during Tuesday’s season-opener. Miles started Friday night by knocking down his first four shots, including his first three from beyond the arc.
Alabama also saw an improvement from freshman center Charles Bediako, who recorded 12 points and six rebounds while also tallying a block and a steal. Alabama out-rebounded South Dakota State 47-38, holding a 26-6 advantage in second-chance points. Alabama also outscored South Dakota State 56-42 in the paint.
It wasn't all rosy for Alabama, though. The Tide looked sloppy on defense, surrendering 88 points while allowing South Dakota State to attack in transition. Noah Freidel scored 23 points on 8 of 13 shooting, while Baylor Scheierman recorded 10 points and a game-high 18 rebounds.
"I feel like our transition defense needs some work after this game," Quinerly said. "But I was still proud of the fight that we showed tonight."
Alabama will host South Alabama next Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. CT.
Injury report
Alabama forward Juwan Gary left the game late in the first half after landing awkwardly on his right ankle following a block attempt. He immediately left the court and was helped to the locker room by the team’s training staff.
“It’s a soft-tissue injury, we’re not sure what it is” Oats said. “We’re going to get an X-ray first thing in the morning, and we’ll know more from there. It’s his right ankle, and we don’t know what it is right now.”
Alex Tchikou serves out his suspension
After serving out his two-game suspension, Alabama forward Alex Tchikou was the last player on the court, getting some extra reps inside an empty Coleman Coliseum. The 6-foot-11 redshirt freshman will be eligible to play during Tuesday night's game against South Alabama.
