Alabama Blows Double-Digit Second-Half Lead in SEC Tournament Opener to Vanderbilt

The Crimson Tide was outscored 46-25 over the final 14 minutes of the game to be eliminated from its first game at the SEC Tournament.

TAMPA, Fla. — Whistles abounded and 3-point shots did not, at least for the Crimson Tide, in Alabama's SEC Tournament opener against Vanderbilt. 

Behind 45 free throw attempts, the Commodores mounted a second-half comeback to eliminate the defending SEC Champs 82-76 in Amelie Arena Thursday night. 

"I thought our guys gave an effort, but we had 18 turnovers, couldn't make a free throw, didn't shoot the ball particularly well," said Alabama head coach Nate Oats. "We didn't do a very good job guarding without fouling. We gave up 54 in the second half, and you look at how they got them. They hit six threes. I didn't think we did a great job at the scouting report on some of the threes they got off.”

The No. 6 seed Crimson Tide (19-13) had just built its largest lead of the game at 51-36 and visions of facing Big Blue in the quarterfinals started to appear. The Alabama players were quickly snapped back to reality by a 19-5 run for  11th-seeded Vanderbilt (17-15) to help the Commodores take their first lead of the game at 57-56. 

From that point on, it was a back-and-forth affair until a 3-pointer from Myles Stute with 1:20 left served as the dagger to give Vanderbilt a two-possession lead at 76-71 from which the Crimson Tide could never recover. 

Alabama was outscored 46-25 over the final 14 minutes of the game. 

"We talked about coming out and having a strong second half, something we struggled with this year for sure, but when they went on that run, it was just kind of— just a little adversity we needed to answer, and we kind of just let them keep piling buckets up and not getting the stops that we needed," said Alabama junior guard Jaden Shackelford. "So it's a learning experience. We got another shot at this, so it's just coming out in the second half stronger, locked in getting stops.”

Unlike the first matchup against the Commodores, when Alabama shot 88 percent from the free throw line, it shot 59 percent Thursday against Vanderbilt and seemed to miss at least one attempt at every trip to the line. 

"Got to be a little bit more mentally tough," Oats said about Alabama's free throw shooting. "It's not— it wasn't going great in the first half. I think we were 10 of 18 in the first half. We just need to turn it around and step up and make them, but that's kind of our deal. 

"When you are locked in, I think you're locked in. I think you're taking care of the ball, stepping to the free-throw line, making free throws. I think you're locked into the scouting report. I don't know if everybody was quite as locked in as they needed to be tonight.”

Outside of  Shackelford shooting 6-16 from beyond the arc, the rest of the team combined to make two of 22 3-point attempts. Shackelford led Alabama in scoring with 21 points, but was limited by foul trouble in the second half and fouled out with around a minute to go. 

Vanderbilt was led in scoring by Scotty Pippin Jr. with 26 points aided by 21 free throw attempts. Stute was lethal behind the 3-point line with six made shots, including the late dagger. He added 18 points for the Commodores. 

Commodores head coach Jerry Stackhouse said that Stute provided and edge that his team needed, particularly in the second half when they started to make a run.

"Didn't have a great first half, but we got down early, but our guys just continued to fight in that second half, stayed together, and we got some wonderful results in the end," Stackhouse said. 

The Crimson Tide jumped out to an 8-0 lead capped by a thundering dunk from Darius Miles that helped set the tone for an aggressive first half for Alabama. 

The defense was fantastic in the first half, holding Vanderbilt to just six made field goals as Alabama took a 38-28 lead into halftime. 

That defense started to falter, and things quickly shifted a little over five minutes into the second half, and Alabama's run in Tampa is cut short with the loss to the Commodores. The Crimson Tide now waits to hear its NCAA Tournament seeding and destination on Selection Sunday. 

"We gave up a 15-point lead, and that's a tough way to lose to go out after some of the wins we've had this year and what we're capable of doing," Oats said. "We lost three in a row now. We have to regroup and get ready for the NCAA tournament."