A remarkable difference in 3-point shooting Saturday afternoon marked No. 11 Alabama’s 115-82 victory against Georgia at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama outscored Georgia 54-6 in points off 3-point shots in their 33-point victory, one in which the Crimson Tide (17-5, 12-1 SEC) led the Bulldogs (12-8, 5-8) by one point, 19-18, with 11:40 to play in the first half.
The Tide shot 64% from the field (36-of-56), including 60% of their 3-point shots (18-of-30). Georgia shot 43 percent from the field (28-of-65), but only 11% (2-of-19) on 3-point shots.
“It’s an open-shot game, and we did not get the ball stopped enough,” Georgia coach Tom Crean said. “When we don’t get the ball stopped, it creates the over-helps and the last thing you want to do against a really good shooting team is be in a position to overhelp.
“We didn’t guard the ball, obviously, a couple of times as well in the isolation game, but there is still no reason to have to over help. They’re (Alabama) so good at one more pass, then one more after that. They coach a style that is very much about finding the matchup that they want.”
KD Johnson led Georgia in scoring with 24 points, followed by Sahvir Wheeler with 16. Toumani Camara led the Bulldogs in rebounds, with 13.
Herbert Jones led Alabama’s scorers with 21 points. Joshua Primo added 19, Jaden Shackelford 18 and Jahwon Quinerly 16. Jones entered the game averaging 11.4 points per game.
“Our shot challenges were not nearly what we needed it to be,” Crean said, “and again, we’re not making 3′s on the other end, which carries into the disappointment in the transition end.”
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