Play.
The fast-break slam was taken byJD Davison.
Alabama'sJD Davison gets the steal and runs down the court to throw down a dunk on the break. (0:30)
10:42 PM
When he agreed to the idea of Alabama playing a game in the Pacific Northwest and then playing a game in Tuscaloosa, he knew it would be a test of where the team stood.
Alabama's coach knew that his team could be a tough opponent for the showcase event.
Oats said that they can be dangerous with how many threes they shoot. We hit a few tonight and that helped a bit.
The Tide held off a second-half rally by the third-ranked Bulldogs, who were led by Jaden Shackelford's 28 points.
The Tide made 10 of their 13 3-pointers in the first half, led by Shackelford's shooting from deep. Alabama led by 16 at the half and withstood every charge the Bulldogs made in the second half to win the game.
At the beginning of the second half, Gonzaga trailed by as many as 18. The Tide hit two straight 3-pointers to give them a big cushion, and the school's athletics department had a great day. The football team won the SEC title in Atlanta and then the men's basketball team won.
All six of Shackelford's 3-pointers came in the first half. He had a career high in points during the season. Quinerly and Davison both scored 17 points off the bench.
"Obviously, playing for a coach who gives you the freedom and draws stuff up for you, so just going out there and taking the right shots," Shackelford said. You're rewarded for taking the right shots.
Drew Timme led the way with 23 points, but it wasn't enough for the Zags, who lost to Duke in Las Vegas and looked sluggish in a win over Tarleton State earlier this week.
The Bulldogs struggled at the free-throw line and didn't hit perimeter shots at key times.
Mark Few said that the team played better defense in the second half and got back into it. We just weren't good that last four minutes.
Alabama led 53-35 in the opening seconds of the second half, but the Bulldogs pulled within 74-70 and 76-72 on the strength of a rebound basket by Watson.
The Alabama lead was back to seven with 3:33 left after the empty possessions of the other team. The lead was 10 after Quinerly added a 3.
The Tide had missed their last five 3-point attempts.
Oats said that the two guys showed they're big-time players. The defense got some stops and it was time to make some plays.
The Associated Press contributed to the report.
