The road has been a tough one for Alabama these days – seeing a 10-game winning streak at the end of a week and losing his first SEC game the next.
That, combined with a visit to a South Carolina team, made Tuesday’s game more intriguing than it might seem.
The 11th-ranked Crimson Tide didn’t make it easy, but they left Columbia with 81-78. It was in the final 4:20 without giving a kick, missing the last five while hitting enough on the foul line. This was an Alabama program that went from 4 to 11 last year in games with a single possession a year ago, so coach Nate Oats liked the way this group matured in those situations.
“I think we did some stupid things at the end of the game, but we did enough to win,” said Oats.
John Petty’s first 20-point game since winning the LSU on January 19 was the catalyst for breaking the funk down the road. He had three 3s, as did Jahvon Quinerly in his second consecutive double-digit game that ended with 13.
“I just had to do what I had to do,” said Petty. “I really wasn’t feeling at all. I would do whatever was necessary for us tonight to obtain a victory. “
Alabama (16-5, 11-1 SEC) scored on the line with James Rojas two false shots with 2.0 seconds remaining. Leading by eight at the end, Tide had to resist a late race for the Gamecocks to end the streak of two consecutive defeats.
South Carolina (5-8, 3-6 SEC) led by 11 at the start, but struggled against the perimeter. The hosts hit 6 out of 25 in the 3-point range, while hitting 55.3% on shots within the arc.
Alabama topped 22 turnovers with a few deep balls in the clutch, hitting double digits in the 3s for the first time in three games. The tide was 12 to 34 behind the arch. Petty finished 3 in 10 long distance, after some late mistakes.
“Shots came to me. I got some bad ones, but I think that’s how you’re feeling, ”said Petty with a laugh.
The struggles at the beginning of the game that frustrated Oats were not resolved in this one. Alabama was left behind by 11 twice in the opening moments, with only 2 to 9 to start the game, while the Gamecocks were 7 to 10.
The effort was not the problem this time, said Oats. He said they just had to weather the storm and South Carolina’s shots eventually cooled when Alabama caught on.
Josh Primo was the first to kick-start Tide’s effort after fighting recently. The freshman had just seven points in the previous three games combined, after scoring 22, 16 and 10, respectively, in the previous three games. Making his first three 3s on Wednesday, Primo’s third tied for 18 and culminated in 13-2.
“That was great for us,” said Oats. “We were struggling to get out of the gate and he had some big 3s, so he was ready to go.”
His move brought Alabama to life after seeing one of his young spark plugs injured. Juwan Gary, making his first college debut in his hometown, Columbia, fell to the ground writhing in pain and holding his shoulder just a few minutes into the game. He didn’t come back. Oats said it will be reevaluated when the team returns to Tuscaloosa.
Alabama also gained momentum with some defensive failures in South Carolina. Three separate prisons resulted in open kicks and eight first-half points for the visitors, who reached the break 39-36.
This post will be updated.
Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or in Facebook.