LSU looked like it was going to compete for a road Quadrant 1 win in the first half on Saturday night against Alabama, but coach Matt McMahon’s team couldn’t keep up in the second as the Crimson Tide rolled to a 109-88 win in Tuscaloosa.
The Tigers have now dropped three games in a row and four of their last five, falling to 11-9 overall and 3-4 in league play.
Alabama put the pressure on early, making 8 of its first 14 shots. LSU managed to keep up, though, and the game was tied at 26 heading into the under-12 media timeout.
The Tigers outshot the Crimson Tide 48.4% to 45.5% in the first half, but it was a clean half for ‘Bama, which had just two turnovers in the period to LSU’s six. It also went 12 of 14 on free throws in the first half, while LSU went 7 of 13.
The Tigers ended the half on a 2:45 scoring drought, while Alabama went on a 6-0 run as it took a 50-42 lead — its largest of the game to that point — into the locker room.
That would be an omen for what was to come in the second half. Both teams traded baskets for a few minutes to start the frame, but a 9 of 15 shooting start from the Crimson Tide fueled an 8-0 run as it jumped out to a 15-point lead with 11:44 to play.
Things never got better from there for LSU. Alabama stretched its lead as big as 22 points while shooting a stellar 66.7% in the second half. Mark Sears (21 points), Latrell Whitesell Jr. (19) and Aaron Estrada (18) were particularly difficult for the Tigers to contain.
LSU saw five players score in double figures, with [autotag]Derek Fountain[/autotag] and [autotag]Mike Williams III[/autotag] leading the way with 14 points, but that wasn’t enough to keep up as the defense allowed 100+ points for the first time this season.
The Tigers desperately need to end this skid, and they’ll get a good chance to do just that when they return to the court next Saturday with a home game against a struggling Arkansas team.
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