The Alabama Crimson Tide picked up their second big win on Tuesday when the men’s basketball team defeated the Florida Gators, 86-71, to move to 8-3 on the season, including a 3-0 mark in SEC play.
Earlier in the evening, Crimson Tide football star DeVonta Smith won the Heisman Trophy.
Heading into Tuesday’s meeting with the Gators on the hardwood, both teams entered with an undefeated record in the SEC. The Crimson Tide controlled this game from the start and went into halftime with a 39-32 lead.
The second half looked like it would be a different story as the Gators got off to a 7-0 run to tie the game. Alabama didn’t flinch and went on a 12-2 run to give the Tide a 10-point lead for which Florida would never recover.
Three players tied for the team lead in scoring as Herbert Jones, Jaden Shackelford and Keon Ellis had 16 points apiece. Ellis came off the bench to give head coach Nate Oats a spark and led the team with eight rebounds.
Forward James Rojas also came off the bench for Alabama and scored 15 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Guard John Petty chipped in with 12 points for the Crimson Tide.
Alabama was without starting guard Jahvon Quinerly, who missed the game with an undisclosed condition.
The Crimson Tide broke an eight-game losing streak to Florida and starts a conference season 3-0 for the first time since 1986-87.
This was a big win for Alabama coming off an upset win at No. 7 Tennessee on Saturday.
Next up for the SEC-leading Crimson Tide is a trip to Auburn on Saturday.