Alabama vs. South Carolina: Score and Reaction from 2017 Regular Season

In a game that took nearly three hours, Alabama pulled off a 90-86 four-overtime victory against No. 19 South Carolina at Colonial Life Arena on Tuesday night.

Riley Norris, who finished with 11 points, provided the final four points of the night from the free-throw line to secure the Crimson Tide's victory.

Avery Johnson Jr. led Alabama with 23 points off the bench. Ar'Mond Davis added 19.

It was just enough to get past the Gamecocks, who were fueled by Sindarius Thornwell's monster 44-point, 21-rebound effort.

The Tide led for the majority of regulation after it raced out to a 10-2 advantage. The only time it trailed was when Thornwell scored the first two points of the game from the free-throw line 1:30 into the first half.

But South Carolina had a dreadful first half from the floor, per ESPN Stats & Info:

Alabama seemingly had the game in the bag, as it led 54-42 with 4:42 remaining. But in that final stretch, South Carolina outscored the Tide 15-3 to force overtime. Thornwell tallied eight of those points, including a jumper with 13 seconds left that tied things up.

It was a surprising turn of events to Athlon Sports and Life's Antwan V. Staley:

Neither team scored in the final 1:40 of the first overtime, and the game entered a second five-minute extra session knotted at 63.

The Gamecocks came out flying. PJ Dozier nailed a three and added a layup as they took a seven-point lead with 2:18 to go. But Alabama answered with an 8-0 run and held a 74-72 lead after Johnson's three-pointer with 21 seconds on the clock.

Once again, South Carolina turned to Thornwell. He came through, sinking a layup with six seconds left to force a third overtime, much to the shock of AL.com's Justin King:

The Crimson Tide built two five-point leads in the period, but Dozier hit another three with 1:29 to go, and Thornwell drained a pair of free throws with 23 seconds to play to tie the game at 82.

For NCAA March Madness, the excitement was starting early:

The Gamecocks finally ran out of gas in what proved to be the final three minutes of the game, and Norris made four of four attempts from the charity stripe in the last 56 seconds, much to the dismay of bettors, per Sports Insights:

Alabama (14-9, 7-4 SEC), which had lost its only two games against ranked opponents this season, stopped a two-game slide. It won't get any easier for the Tide, who host No. 15 Kentucky on Saturday.

South Carolina (19-5, 9-2) had a four-game winning streak snapped and lost for just the second time in 11 games. More importantly, however, the Gamecocks opened the door for the rest of the SEC.

Entering Tuesday, South Carolina had a one-game lead over Kentucky and No. 17 Florida. Now, after the Wildcats held off LSU and the Gators pulled away from Georgia, there's a three-way tie atop the league with less than a month remaining in the regular season.

Postgame Reaction

It's not often a four-overtime game comes around. Alabama head coach Avery Johnson said it was a momentous one, via David Caraviello of the Post and Courier:

South Carolina head coach Frank Martin said he'll remember this game for the wrong reasons, beginning with his team's preparation, via Caraviello:

Having been left out of the NCAA tournament last year, he seemed indifferent about the committee this year, via Caraviello:

But for a team that is very much in contention for the SEC, the Gamecocks should have plenty of chances to clinch their place in the Big Dance. 

Stats courtesy of ESPN.com.