The Alabama men’s basketball team escaped Coleman Coliseum, despite a second-half comeback from LSU, with an 82-80 victory over the Tigers Saturday night.
The Crimson Tide advanced to 9-10 on the season and 3-3 in Southeastern Conference play.
“Our guys stuck together,” Alabama coach Anthony Grant said. “They got tougher at the end … They did what they needed to do at the end.”
Alabama went on a 22-2 run in the first half, after LSU opened the game with a 7-0 lead, and all looked to being leaning toward an easy win for the Crimson Tide.
But LSU came alive after halftime, scoring 57 of its 80 points in the second half. The Tigers shot 20-34 (50 percent) from the field and 5-8 (63 percent) from behind the arch in the second half, as they clawed their way back into the game after a 14-point deficit at intermission.
The Tigers also out-rebounded Alabama 34-29 and scored 15 second-chance points.
“We knew coming in, LSU’s extremely talented,” Grant said. “They’re an explosive team; they’ve been that way all year.”
But Grant praised his team for its ability to walk off the court with the win.
“We made our way today, and that’s growth for this team,” Grant said. “I’m just so happy for these guys, for the fight they showed today to be able to come out with a win.”
Senior guard Trevor Releford led all scorers with 21 points. Saturday’s game marked the 20th consecutive game Releford scored in double figures.
Junior gurad Rodney Cooper contributed 19 points, but his 4-of-5 shooting from three-point range helped the Crimson Tide avoid a complete second-half meltdown. Cooper also led the team with six rebounds.
“All credit goes to my teammates,” Cooper said. “They were driving the ball and finding me. I just tried my best to make the shots.”
Cooper and freshman forward Shannon Hale both hit late-game shots that kept Alabama afloat and eventually led to victory.
Cooper sunk a layup after an offensive rebound with 1:32 left in the game, and Hale knocked down a three-point shot with 46 seconds to go.
“They were huge. They were at crucial times,” Grant said. “The thing for us … a lot of times we’ll kind of rely on Trevor to make those plays for us, so it was good see other guys being willing to step up and take those shots and make those plays.”
Hale scored a career-high 17 points and led the team with six assits, which was also a career best. His three-point basket that gave the Crimson Tide a 79-77 lead came after he missed a three the possession before.
Releford applauded the freshman for having the courage to take the shot again.
“That’s huge,” Releford said. “That just shows how much heart he’s got as a freshman just to throw up a shot like that. That’s huge, that’s huge.”
Sophomore guard Retin Obasohan sat out for a second straight game Saturday night, after initially missing Thursday’s game against Florida with a strained hip flexor. Obasohan sustained the injury during Tuesday’s practice and sat out as a precaution.
Releford played all 40 minutes for Alabama in Obasohan’s absence. He also played in all of the Florida game, minus a six-second second substitution before the half against the Gators.
“He persevered. He made the plays that you want to see your seniors make,” Grant said. “He got other guys involved. I thought he played a really good game.”
The Crimson Tide will travel to Auburn Wednesday Jan. 29 to face the Tigers. The game will tip at 7 p.m. and be televised on SEC TV.
