LSU basketball stumbles in second half, falls in blowout loss to Alabama on Saturday night

mikey dilullo, lafayette daily advertiser

Sun, Jan 28, 2024, 4:45 AM·2 min read

LSU basketball entered Saturday's road game against Alabama with some momentum despite its recent results.

The Tigers had back-to-back losses against Texas A&M and Georgia, which had come by a combined six points, but both times they had a shot to tie or win in the final seconds. Against the Crimson Tide, LSU's streak of punching above its weight came to an end as the Tigers fell to Alabama on Saturday 109-88 in Tuscaloosa.

For the first half, it looked like LSU (11-9, 3-4 SEC) of late had showed up as the Tigers led as late as 12 minutes into the half. And while LSU fell behind at the break, an offensive goaltend on Derek Fountain was overturned as the teams were in their locker rooms to cut the Crimson Tide (14-6, 6-1) lead to just six points and gave the Tigers some life.

What to know: LSU basketball vs. Alabama: Get tip-off time, TV, and betting info for Saturday's game here

In the second, LSU couldn't capitalize.

While the Tigers held serve, keeping the deficit at six prior to the first media timeout, Alabama raced out to a 15-point lead before the second. The Crimson Tide extended it to as many as 23 as both teams emptied their benches with Saturday's result all but decided.

Jan 27, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; LSU guard Trae Hannibal (0) grabs a rebound against Alabama at Coleman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports

Leaders in foul trouble

Jordan Wright, Jalen Cook, and Mike Williams III had all been offensive leaders for the Tigers this season, and Saturday looked like more of the same — until the fouls were called. LSU was forced to play most of the game without some or all of them, as all three were forced to miss crucial playing time with four fouls apiece.

Bench steps up

In their absence, the Tigers' bench was pressed into duty and performed admirably. Averaging just 25 points per game from the bench entering Saturday, LSU nearly eclipsed that in just one half by scoring 20 prior to the break before finishing the game with 30.

Junior forward Derek Fountain led all bench players with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including making both of his 3-point attempts, good for second on the team to Williams' 16.

Layup woes continue

For the second consecutive game, the Tigers struggled on what should be the easy shots. Just three days after making only one of every three layup attempts against Georgia, LSU improved against Alabama — but still only shot just 40.6% on layups.