COLOMBIA, SC (AP) – John Petty Jr. scored 20 points and No. 11, Alabama, held South Carolina 81-78 on Tuesday night, to recover from his first loss at the Southeast Conference of the season .
Crimson Tide (16-5, 11-1 SEC) had his best league start in 65 years before dropping to 10th place in Missouri last Saturday. But after Petty’s first game with 20 points in six disputes, Alabama won its sixth straight game over the Gamecocks (5-8, 3-6).
Not that it was easy.
Justin Minaya reduced South Carolina’s deficit to 79-78 with 2 seconds left, but James Rojas quickly missed and hit both free throws to seal the victory.
Keyshawn Bryant’s desperation pass on the pitch was eliminated by Alabama’s Keon Ellis when time was up.
AJ Lawson led the Gamecocks with 21 points, scoring five points out of 3.
Gamecocks had their chances. Wildens Leveque leveled at 59 with 11:11 before Alabama moved on with Jaden Shackelford’s tray in possession of the next ball. Jahvon Quinerly extended the lead with a jumper.
The Gamecocks scored back in 65-64 in Lawson’s 3-point basket and a shot from Bryant. But Petty, the team leader made 3s, hit another behind the hoop and South Carolina failed to rally, losing for the third time in their last four games.
Alabama, which was 22 points behind Missouri before losing 68-65, lost to South Carolina 16-5, with less than five minutes to go.
That’s when Petty and Joshua Primo’s long-range shot put Alabama back in the running. Primo, a six-foot-eight freshman, added seven points combined in his last three games with just one of three points. This time, he hit three of his team’s six 3s in the first 20 minutes and scored 10 points at halftime.
Quinerly finished with 13 points for Tide, while Petty added eight rebounds, two blocks and a steal.
Alabama freshman Juwan Gary, who is from Columbia, hit his left shoulder hard at the beginning of the break and went to the locker room. He did not return to court.
BIG PICTURE
Alabama: The Crimson Tide showed courage and depth while building considerable leadership at the SEC. It will be difficult for the top scorers in Missouri and Tennessee, both with six league wins, to lose with just six games remaining. Alabama won their last regular season title in 2002.
South Carolina: Seventh Woods had problems in both halves and, without the firm hand of the North Carolina transfer, South Carolina struggled to find open kicks.
NEXT
Alabama face Georgia at home on Saturday.
South Carolina hosts Mississippi on Saturday night.
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