'March version of JQ' spurs No. 2 Alabama in comeback win over Auburn

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Time will tell if this was Jahvon Quinerly’s final game inside Coleman Coliseum. After playing a key role in Alabama’s success the past three years, the point guard still has one season of eligibility remaining. He’ll decide on his future whenever the Crimson Tide’s memorable run comes to a close over the next few weeks.

But if this was his final performance in front of a home faithful, boy, did he put on a show.

Quinerly scored a season-high 24 points to lead No. 2 Alabama to a 90-85 overtime win over Auburn as the Crimson Tide clinched the SEC regular-season title Wednesday night. The senior point guard put up 15 of those points in the second half, coming off the bench to spur a 22-7 run that saw Alabama erase a 17-point deficit and ultimately send the game into overtime.

“I can’t be more proud of JQ,” Alabama head coach Nate Oats said after the game. “I told him, I told the team, we’re getting the March version of JQ. He’s definitely the X-factor. He played great for us, particularly in the second half.”

Quinerly sparked Alabama’s comeback with more than just his scoring. He was at the heart of a second-half scuffle that charged the Coleman crowd to another level.

In the midst of a 9-0 run, Alabama trimmed Auburn’s lead to 66-58 with less than eight minutes to play. Intercepting a pass down low to Auburn’s Johni Broome, Quinerly wrestled the ball away from the 6-foot-10 forward before drawing his fifth foul.

From there, a bit of chaos ensued as Auburn guard Wendall Green and Quinerly went back and forth in a brief altercation that ultimately saw the Crimson Tide clear its bench. After roughly 10 minutes of stoppage, Alabama's Charles Bediako and Rylan Griffen were ejected for leaving the bench and crossing halfcourt.

“We were in the middle of a run at the time,” Oats said. “I was a little worried we would lose some of the momentum.”

Quinerly made sure that didn’t happen. After hitting one of the two ensuing free throws, he provided a layup to cut the deficit to 5 points with 6:28 remaining. Alabama trimmed Auburn’s lead to 70-69 with less than three minutes remaining before Green nailed what appeared to be a momentum-killing 3 for Auburn. However, Quinerly once again brought the Tide back, completing a 3-point play on the ensuing possession.

The senior’s final two points came on a pair of free throws to give Alabama its first lead of the game with 1:37 to play in regulation. After Auburn sent the game to overtime, it was Quinerly who found an open Mark Sears for a 3-pointer to give the Crimson Tide a commanding 5-point lead. That was one of six assists for Quinerly, who finished the night with a team-high 16 plus-minus.

“JQ showed a lot of mental toughness tonight,” Oats said. “He showed a lot for a fifth-year senior in March. Things haven’t gone what we all would have hoped they would have gone what we all would have hoped they would have gone for him all year.”

Quinerly was originally set to pursue a professional career following last season but changed his plans after tearing his ACL during Alabama’s NCAA Tournament loss to Notre Dame last March. Instead, he opted to return for another year, recovering from the injury in time to rejoin the Crimson Tide on the court in mid-November. Coming off the bench in 28 games this season, he’s averaging 7.7 points and a team-high 3.7 assists.

Of course, those numbers could rise if “March version of JQ” shows up this month. Excluding last season’s loss NCAA Tournament loss to Notre Dame when he tore his ACL roughly three minutes after tipoff, Quinerly has scored in double digits in all 12 of his other March games with the Crimson Tide, averaging 15.7 points per game during that span.

Alabama hopes he has at least one more run of March madness before his time in crimson comes to an end.

“He’s learned how to be a winner,” Oats said. “He’s gotten better as a player, gotten better as a leader. You can hear him in the huddles. I’m so proud of him as a leader. … He’s here. It’s march, and we’ve got the March version of JQ.”