Alabama wins; holds LSU to 13 points in second half

TUSCALOOSA — Alabama’s Charvez Davis introduced LSU to the 3-point era on a night when the Tigers might as well have been shooting at peach baskets.

Problem was, they were besting Alabama in the second half before Davis, the Crimson Tide’s reputed 3-point marksman, finally showed what the talk was about.

Davis hit four 3-pointers in the second half — the first two of which came early in a 16-0 run — and Alabama cruised to a 57-38 victory over the Bayou Bengals.

That score carried a few milestones:

LSU’s output was the fewest points Alabama had ever given up in an SEC game in 40-plus-year-old Coleman Coliseum and the fewest by a regular-season SEC opponent since Tennessee scored 37 points in 1958.

The Tigers’ 32 points were also the fewest by LSU since it lost 50-33 to Ole Miss in 2001.

No Alabama opponent had scored fewer since 1989, when the Tide beat Baptist College 63-32.

It was the fewest points allowed by the Tide against an SEC team since its 42-31 win over Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament in 1985.

It also is the lowest scoring game between the two conference rivals since the Tide won 37-32 in 1948.

And yet, LSU led 25-23 at halftime and 29-25 with 16:20 remaining in the game.

Then, boom.

Chris Hines made one of two free throws and Davis hit consecutive 3-pointers to put Alabama up 32-29 with 14:39 left.

It started a sequence of turnovers and missed shots by the Tigers that didn’t stop until Bo Spencer hit a jumper at the 9:36 mark. By then, Alabama had built a comfortable 41-29 lead.

In that stretch, LSU had eight turnovers and missed three shots as it went scoreless for 7:50.

Alabama (13-7 overall, 3-3 SEC) went with full-court pressure that made the Tigers (9-11, 0-6) work to even cross midcourt with the basketball.

In a key 40-second span, Mikhail Torrance stole the ball from Spencer and spotted Senario Hillman for a 3-pointer. Chris Hines got a steal from Chris

Bass and Davis drilled a three. Hines got another steal from Tasmin Mitchell and Torrance knocked down a three.

“Take that 40 seconds, that’s really what we try to create,” Alabama coach Anthony Grant said. “At the point, the pace of the game shifted to what we want. Everything changed at that moment.”

The lead went from 32-29 to 41-29 in that time frame. Game over.

Davis finished 5-for-7 shooting — all 3-pointers, the most in a game by a Tide player this season — and a game-high 15 points.

“I know if I hit a couple that’ll give us a spark and make the defense respect the 3-point line,” Davis said. “Coach says shoot the ball. Be shot-ready and shoot with confidence.”

“Charvez got hot and I was trying to find him,” said Torrance, who had a double-double with 10 points and 11 assists. “They started to close on him and I found gaps.”

Torrance was able to drive through the LSU defense and kick the ball to open teammates.

Tony Mitchell had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

No LSU player had more than Storm Warren’s nine points. Tasmin Mitchell was held to eight points and had 10 rebounds.

Alabama had eight turnovers in the first half, just four in the second half even as the game was played at its faster pace.

“We didn’t do a good job taking care of the basketball and limiting their second shots,” said Grant, who pointed out that Alabama had 12 assists and four turnovers in the second half. LSU had zero assists and 12 turnovers after halftime.

The Tide shot 9-for-17 from 3-point range — 7-of-10 in the second half. LSU was 1-for-9 and Chris Beattie’s trey was on the Tigers’ final shot of the game.

“The first half we played into their hands,” Torrance said. “The second half we really tried to pick up the intensity.”

Grant was asked the difference between the two halves.

“Stopped turning it over,” he said. “We got some shots to fall, which allowed us to get into the press. Found open guys, got some shots to fall, got the pace of the game the way we wanted.”

LSU coach Trent Johnson summarized it simply: “Alabama is better than we are,” the coach said. “... This game is a game of angles and mental and physical toughness, and we don’t have that.”