Jahvon Quinerly scored 17 of his 19 points during a second-half rally that helped send No. 24 Alabama to a 74-72 win over host Vanderbilt in a Southeastern Conference matchup in Nashville on Tuesday.
Jordan Wright missed a potential tying layup for the Commodores with 4.8 seconds remaining and Alabama (18-10, 8-7) ran out the remainder of the clock to secure the road win.
Alabama went on runs of 14-3 and 9-0 to gain control in the second half.
Quinerly came off the bench to hit 6 of 12 shots in 27 minutes. Noah Gurley scored 11 points and had three of Alabama’s eight blocked shots. JD Davison tallied 10 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Keon Ellis added 10 points and eight rebounds.
Scotty Pippen Jr. led Vanderbilt (14-13, 6-9) with 26 points. He hit just 5 of 13 field goals but went 14 of 18 from the free-throw line. Liam Robbins scored a season-high 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting.
The win moved Alabama into sole possession of fifth place in the SEC, breaking a tie with four other teams who are 7-7 in conference play. Vanderbilt dropped into a tie with Texas A&M for 11th place.
Free throws were the main story of the game, as the teams combined to attempt 61 on 46 fouls. Alabama went 22 of 25 (88 percent), and Vanderbilt was 27 of 36 (75 percent).
The Crimson Tide turned the ball over 18 times, leading to 32 Vanderbilt points, but the Commodores gave back 18 points on their 16 turnovers.
Alabama will play next at home on Saturday against South Carolina, while Vanderbilt will hit the road to take on Mississippi State.
–Field Level Media
