Kira Lewis, Jr.'s Career Night Propels Alabama to Thrilling 105-102 OT Win

Alabama had five players finish in double figures in the road victory at Georgia

ATHENS, Ga. — Led by a career-high night from sophomore guard Kira Lewis Jr., the University of Alabama men’s basketball team was able to avoid dropping a fourth straight game Saturday night.

Lewis netted 37 points during the exciting 105-102 overtime victory over Georgia at Stegeman Coliseum.

“Tough road win,” Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats said. “We needed it bad after the two home wins that we felt like we should have had. I thought it showed a ton of character from our guys, after losing to Arkansas after being up 12-0 to start that game and then losing to Tennessee after being up 15 in the first half, to have enough character and come in here and fight like they did.”

For the first half, everything was working for the Crimson Tide except its 3-point shooting. Alabama only hit 2-of-11 from beyond the arc, but made 18 of its 26 other shots from the field.

The Crimson Tide led at intermission, 45-41.

However, in the opening minutes of the second half it looked like Alabama was going to blow another game which it led at the half, when Georgia went on a 24-8 run to take a 12-point lead with 14:44 to go.

Down double-digits and momentum swung in the opposite direction, a couple key 3-pointers from guards Beetle Bolden and Jaden Shackelford, and some tough layups by Lewis, propelled the Crimson Tide on a 13-4 run to retake the lead, 71-69.

“When we made that run, we had some of our bench guys in there,” Oats said. “[Jaylen] Forbes and Bolden were in there. I’m proud of the way they played and it showed a lot of character.”

Bolden finished with 11 points and six rebounds, while Forbes made his presence known on the defensive end, recording two steals. 

Lewis accounted for 10 of the Crimson Tide’s final 13 points in regulation and scored 25 in the second half and overtime.

Down the stretch, the guard missed two free throws on two separate trips to the line that would have extended the Crimson Tide’s advantage to two possessions, essentially sealing the game.

With 21 seconds left in regulation, Bulldogs center Rayshaun Hammonds made a jumper to tie the game at 92. 

“Once I missed those two free throws, there was nothing I could do about them,” Lewis said. “I closed my eyes, counted to three and we were in overtime so I put them behind me and went out and played.”

Defensively, the Crimson Tide stepped up in overtime, forcing the Bulldogs to shoot 2-of-8 from the field and 0-4 from 3-point range. The Crimson Tide only made two shots from field, but was able to get the free-throw line for 12 shots, hitting nine of them. 

The Huntsville, Ala. product added five more points in those extra five minutes of action to go along with his monster stat line of 37 points, seven assists, five boards, two steals, and one block.

"This team is really resilient," Lewis said. "After the Tennessee loss, we all came together and talked about how we are going to let it all on the floor every game and never look past an opponent. I feel like we did a great job tonight."

Crimson Tide junior wing John Petty, Jr., scored six of his 21 points during the extra frame, and was also 4-for-6 from the charity stripe in the closing minutes to help put away a victory for the visitors.

Alabama (13-10, 5-5 SEC) limited Bulldogs star freshman guard Anthony Edwards, projected by many to be a top pick in this year’s NBA draft, to only 14 points on 5-of-17 shooting and 0-of-6 from beyond the arc. He still notched a double-double with 12 rebounds. 

Coming into the contest considered questionable due to the flu, Edwards' status led to Bulldogs guard Sahvir Wheeler being a bigger part of the offense. He had a team-high 24 points and eight assists for Georgia (12-11, 2-8).

Wheeler had the task of guarding Lewis throughout the night and after the game spoke highly of the guard and the Crimson Tide.

“There are a lot of ball screens they set,” Wheeler said. “[Lewis] has good speed. Credit to their coaching staff for the way they use him. He is a good player, but yeah it is a lot of ball screens.”

Crimson Tide forward Javian Davis had a stellar outing, scoring 13 points and grabbing eight rebounds in 23 minutes. He fouled out in the closing seconds, leaving the court grimacing and needing assistance.

Oats said that Davis was experiencing full body cramps and he had to get an IV after the game.

“He gave us everything he had,” Oats said.

Moving forward, the road doesn't get any easier for Oats’ squad with a midweek trip to Auburn followed by home matchup with LSU on Saturday. Tipoff against the Tigers on the Plains is set for 6 p.m., CT Wednesday (ESPN2).