Alabama Basketball Drops Tough SEC Opener at Florida, 104-98 2OT

The Crimson Tide gave up a 14-point halftime lead to the Gators to lose in double-overtime

Alabama basketball dropped a tough SEC opener to Florida in Gainesville, losing 104-98 in double-overtime Saturday night.

The Crimson Tide had a 14-point lead at the half, but the Gators were able to overcome the deficit with a shot in the final seconds of regulation, leading to two overtime periods before pulling away with the win.

"I told our guys the tougher team would win tonight," Alabama head coach Nate Oats said in a statement. "I thought we were the tougher team for large portions of this game. But they made tough plays in the second half to win the game. You have to tip their hat to them and give them credit. Florida has now won 14 of its last 16 against Alabama."

The Crimson Tide pulled away early with a 14-0 run, giving Alabama the 23-11 lead with 11 minutes left in the first half. The Crimson Tide was able to maintain the lead thanks in part to 10 points by junior forward Alex Reese.

Alabama entered the locker room up 46-32 at the break.

At the start of the second half, Florida began chipping away at the Alabama lead. Slowly but surely, the Gators came back. 11 points apiece for sophomore guard Andrew Nembhard and graduate-student forward Kerry Blackshear, Jr., powered the Florida momentum.

With 29 seconds to go, Florida went scored five-consecutive points to tie the game, sending it into its first overtime period.

The first overtime period was a back-and-forth affair, with neither team being able to pull away. With just 16 seconds to go, junior guard John Petty, Jr., hit a crucial 3-pointer, tying the game at 92. Florida was unable to respond, and the game entered its second overtime.

After the first four minutes went back and forth once again, the Gators decided they had had enough. With 42 seconds on the clock and the game tied at 98, Florida went on a 6-0 run with six-consecutive free throws scored by Nembhard, Blackshear and freshman guard Scottie Lewis.

"[Florida head coach] Mike [White] did a good job with his team in keeping their heads in the game when they went down big," Oats said. "At the same time, we have to find ways to win these games and when you are up 20 on the road in your SEC opener, you have to find a way to win that game.”

For Alabama, Petty had yet another strong performance with 19 points, seven rebounds and two assists. Petty also hit four threes in the game. In total, Alabama had six players with double-digit scoring, including Petty, Reese, Kira Lewis, Jr., Jaden Shackelford, James 'Beetle' Bolden and Herbert Jones.

For Florida, Nembhard and Blackshear led the show, scoring 25 and 24 points, respectively. Blackshear earned himself a double-double with 16 rebounds in the game. Scottie Lewis and sophomore forward Keyontae Johnson also registered double-doubles, with Scottie Lewis registering 15 points and 10 rebounds and Johnson 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Alabama dropped to 7-6 with the loss, and is 0-1 in the SEC. Florida moved to 9-5 (1-0).

Next up for Alabama is Mississippi State, Wednesday at Coleman Coliseum. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT (SEC Network).