NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Jahvon Quinerly scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half, helping No. 24 Alabama rally from a nine-point deficit in the first half to hold off Vanderbilt 74-72 Tuesday night.
Alabama (18-10, 8-7 Southeastern Conference) has won four of five, and the Crimson Tide had to shake off a cold-shooting first half in which they trailed 37-28 with 90 seconds left. They also had to hold on at the free-throw line late after missing seven of their final eight shots from the field.
Quinerly got the Tide going with his big second-half performance and hit two free throws with 28.4 seconds left for a 73-70 lead.
Scotty Pippen Jr., the SEC's leading scorer, made 10 of 12 at the foul line in the final 3:49 to help pull Vanderbilt to 71-70. But his second attempt missed with a chance to tie it with 46.1 seconds left. Vanderbilt also had a final opportunity to tie or win, but Jordan Wright's layup rolled over the rim with 4.8 seconds to go.
Noah Gurley added 11 points for Alabama, and JD Davison and Keon Ellis each had 10.
Vanderbilt (14-13, 6-9) snapped a four-game winning streak at Memorial Gym and has lost three of the last four — all to Top 25 teams.
Pippen finished with 26 points despite not scoring in the second half until a free throw with 3:49 left. Liam Robbins had 16 points.
Quinerly keyed an 11-3 run with a pair of 3-pointers, and Gurley’s three-point play with 12:53 left gave Alabama a 46-45 lead that was its first since 5-4 in the opening minutes. After Robbins hit back-to-back jumpers to pull Vanderbilt to 55-53 with 9:03 left, Quinerly capped a 9-0 spurt with a driving layup, a deep 3 and another layup for Alabama's biggest lead at 64-53.
Both teams struggled to shoot for minutes on end, and Vanderbilt led 37-32 at halftime.
BIG PICTURE
Alabama: The Crimson Tide usually shoot the 3 very well as the SEC’s best team outside the arc, making an average of 9.2 per game. They couldn’t get 3s to fall much of the game, though, finishing 8 of 28. ... Alabama outrebounded Vanderbilt 41-37.
Vanderbilt: The Commodores’ sticky defense paid off early and often. They had a 32-18 scoring edge off turnovers, with 12 of Alabama's turnovers coming on steals.
NIP AND TUCK
The series has been very tight no matter the rankings or records. This was the 18th of the last 19 games decided by 10 or fewer points and 11th decided by five or less. Alabama has won 10 during that stretch.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Alabama has played one of the toughest schedules in the nation, with a 5-4 record against Top 25 teams.
UP NEXT
Alabama starts a two-game homestand Saturday against South Carolina.
Vanderbilt visits Mississippi State on Saturday afternoon.
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