Different route, same route.
For the second time in two weeks, Alabama defeated LSU on the basketball floor, only using another method on Wednesday. The Tigers’ 78-60 defeat saw Alabama fight from the perimeter for large segments, so it took him to the edge.
No. 10 Alabama (15-4, 10-0 SEC) shot just 6-to-24 in the 3-point range after breaking a SEC record behind the arc two weeks ago at Baton Rouge. The 52-26 point advantage in the painting was the difference, as nine different Crimson Tide players scored.
Alabama led by 22 after defeating the Tigers by 30 on January 19. Jaden Shackelford’s 19 led the five double-digit scorers as Tide regained form after three consecutive uneven performances.
Still, it was a long way from Baton Rouge’s 23 by 43 perimeter shooting display. But with LSU shooting as it worked, Alabama needed only a fraction of the attack in the second round.
“The shot kinda comes and goes a little bit, but the guys are going to go into the gym,” said Oats. “I don’t foresee (Shackelford and John Petty) going 1 to 11 combined again. They will fix this. “
RELATED: Rewinding Alabama’s victory over LSU.
LSU (11-6, 6-4) hit just 31% (20 to 65) with Mountain Brook’s product, Trendon Watford, fighting on the offensive side. The former five-star recruit, averaging 17.3 points per game, went 3 out of 13 with 9 points after making a mistake, but one of his seven shots in the first half.
Alabama also made up for its recovery problems in Oklahoma, which ended a 10-game winning streak. Tide overcame the Tigers 51-35 on the charts and ended up with a 17-4 lead on second chance points, after the Sooners had a 10-0 lead on Saturday.
After losing many layups in Saturday’s Oklahoma loss, Alabama was efficient on the edge. He scored 24 of 36 points in the first half by shooting 2 of 13 from the perimeter. Shackelford, who texted coach Nate Oats to apologize for rabbits lost on Saturday, made his first three on Wednesday when Alabama found clues to the basket.
“When they are defending you, they are trying to take all 3, considering how well we shot the ball the last time we played,” said Shackelford. “We have guys who can dribble the ball and beat their man. When we play, there are big gaps in the floor. So it wasn’t too difficult after you opened those gaps and passed our man. “
LSU, meanwhile, fought on the field. He missed his first eight shots in the second half, while Alabama was building its biggest advantage to that point with 47-32. A 9-0 run punctuated by a Keon Ellis dunk made the game 15 points after LSU reduced it to a 6 point break at halftime.
The Tide built their lead without Herbert Jones seeing much action after suffering his fourth foul within three minutes of the break. Jones played just 16 minutes in total, with four points and eight rebounds, the best of the team.
Juwan Gary was a spark off the bench, scoring 12 points and seven rebounds, playing an unstable role near the edge.
“I mean, he was huge,” said Oats. “Herb scores fourth in the 17th minute and there is still some change in the game and the game is far from over at that point. It was still a tough game. … I think we ran an 18-4 run to open it. A big part of that was when Juwan entered. “
Alex Reese also contributed a crucial 25 minutes, scoring 13 points on a night when he was elbowed in the eye. Playing with a black eye, Reese hit 5 of 8 shots and both free throws while Tide went 6 to 6 from the line.
A trip to Missouri’s number 18 is next to Alabama, as it puts your perfect SEC record at stake in Columbia.
Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or in Facebook.