An enticing West Zone regional semi-finals graced the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles Thursday night. In an absolute nail-bitting encounter, the Alabama Crimson Tide got the better of the North Carolina Tar Heels 89-87 in a second-half comeback inspired by a terrific double-double (24 points, 12 rebounds) from senior forward Grant Nelson.

Aaron Estrada’s jumper in the opening 10 seconds started the contest. Following this, the Crimson Tides took the early lead despite repeated counters from RJ Davis and Elliot Cadeau. However, it was the senior guard Cormac Ryan who landed a Three Point Jumper to get the Tar Heels ahead for the first time. Moreover, they also went on a 7-0 run courtesy of some free throws and a layup from Harrison Ingram. However, it was a scintillating UNC display from beyond the arc (9 of 15) that proved instrumental in keeping the lead intact. The first half ended at 54-46 in favor of North Carolina.

The Crimson Tide came out all guns blazing in the second half. They closed in on the gap and were trailing by just 3 points in the first 5 minutes. On the other hand, the Tar Heels had the tables turned on them in terms of their shooting as they missed the next 8 three-pointers. Capitalizing on these lapses, Alabama got themselves ahead with 11:49 minutes still left in the game. After this, a back-and-forth battle continued for the next 6 minutes with both teams producing multiple layups and 3-pointers. A five-point lead by Alabama with just 3:35 to go forced a UNC time-out.

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While the Tar Heels did manage to overcome the deficit and got the lead back for a brief time, it was Grant Nelson’s free throws in the end that ended the game at 89-87.

Grant Nelson turned the heat on in the final moments.

It all started when Nelson showed glimpses of a late Alabama win with a 7-0 run that included a huge three forcing a UNC timeout. However, the Tare Heels responded quickly and got the next 8 points to have their lead back. At this time, the 6 ft 11 in forward pushed through the defenses and architected a stunning layup. Also, Nelson stuffing RJ Davis at the rim forcing a turnover sealed the deal for the Crimson Tides.

An eventful end to a scintillating fixture. Now, we have two teams underdog teams fighting it out in the regional finals for the first time. Surely, the events of this encounter will be worth a watch for the fans.

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