Alabama men’s basketball drops Miami at ESPN Events Invitational to finish 2-1

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Alabama men's basketball defeated Miami 96-64 in the fifth-place game at the ESPN Events Invitational on Sunday to finish 2-1.  

The No. 9 Crimson Tide (6-1) had to overcome another slow start in the tournament, as they only went into halftime with the lead because of a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Jahvon Quinerly. The previous two games at HP Field House in the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex had only seen Alabama lead by four points at the break against Iona and Drake. The Hurricanes (4-3) had led by as many as nine points before the Crimson Tide made their run before halftime.

Keon Ellis led Alabama with 22 points. Jaden Shackelford added 15 points.

“We took an ‘L’ the first game but it's not the end of the world,” Ellis said. “You just got to learn from it and move on. I think tonight showed how we bounced back from that.”

Alabama coach Nate Oats received a technical foul for the second time in the three games. It’s unclear what exactly led to the technical in the first half, but Oats was talking to the official about something in the lead-up to that moment. Oats expressed a level of confusion after it happened, before ultimately moving on and coaching the rest of the game without incident.

VS. IONA:Alabama basketball upset by Iona in ESPN Events Invitational opener

VS. DRAKE:Alabama basketball tops Drake in ESPN Events Invitational

Alabama’s prolific 3-point shooting returns

After struggling to hit shots from behind the arc through the first two games of the tournament, the Crimson Tide went 16-for-30 (53.3%) . Shackelford was 5-for-9 and Ellis hit 5-for-6.

The Crimson Tide had failed to reach 30% on 3-pointers the previous four games. They’d also shot less than 20 in each of the past two games. A 13-for-17 clip in the second half against Miami certainly helped Alabama.

“I thought our second half was as good of basketball as we've played all year,” Oats said. “I thought as the tournament went along the ball moved better, guys playing more unselfish.”

Crimson Tide control the paint

Alabama finished with 38 points in the paint, compared to Miami’s 28. The Crimson Tide also had 14 offensive rebounds to the Hurricanes’ four, and 42 rebounds total compared to their opponents’ 23. And by game’s end, Alabama also had 15 second-chance points compared to Miami’s four.

The 3-point shot was clearly a weapon for the Crimson Tide, but without their ability to get inside and connect on a number of their chances they wouldn’t have been able to shoot 53.6% overall. The Hurricanes were 46% from the field and 23.5% from behind the arc.

Up next

Alabama next plays on the road against Gonzaga on Saturday  (7 p.m. CT, ESPN2).