After a letdown game at Oklahoma last Saturday, the No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide (15-4, 10-0 SEC) returned to Coleman Coliseum and picked up where they left off in SEC play. An offensive charge led by Jaden Shackelford’s 19 points led the Tide to a 78-60 victory over LSU (11-6, 6-4 SEC), to stay unbeaten in conference play.
The second meeting between rivals Alabama and LSU did not provide as many fireworks as the Jan. 19 tilt in Baton Rouge. Alabama’s John Petty did not come out of the gate by scoring 12 points in just over three minutes, nor did the Crimson Tide reach an SEC record in three-pointers. In fact, those were two factors that LSU seemed to almost erase.
Alabama connected on 23 three-pointers in last month’s game, where Petty made the first four of the game. Petty would end with 24 points, all from beyond the arc. The Tigers limited the Tide to six 3-point buckets in Wednesday’s game and held Petty scoreless in that stat line. Petty had six points, none from three-point territory.
Where Petty was silent, others Tide players stepped up.
Five members of Alabama’s squad reached double digits in scoring against LSU, led by Jaden Shackelford’s 19. The sophomore guard reached 10 points and was perfect from the stripe, connecting on four free throws. Shackelford has now scored at least 10 points in four consecutive games, and in eight of the last nine games.
Alex Reese (13), Juwan Gary (12), Jahvon Quinerly (10), and Keon Ellis (10) wrapped up the double-digit scoring for Alabama. Herb Jones led the team with eight rebounds.
LSU’s offense did not fare better in the rematch, as they shot 31% (20-65) from the field, a six percent decrease from Jan. 19. The Tigers’ offense was led by Cameron Thomas, who scored 22 and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.
Alabama looks to extend their 10-game conference game winning streak on Saturday, when they travel to Columbia to face the No. 17 Missouri Tigers. Tipoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT on ESPN.
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