Live with the Tide: Alabama Basketball at No. 22 LSU

Live updates and analysis as the Crimson Tide takes on the No. 22 Tigers in Baton Rouge

Alabama Athletics

Alabama basketball invades Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to take on the No. 22 LSU Tigers.

The Crimson Tide is currently riding a four-game winning streak entering tonight's game. First-year head coach Nate Oats is hoping to keep the momentum going against an LSU squad that beat Alabama twice last season.

Alabama has struggled over its past few games in both offensive rebounding and turnovers. Both of those factors will be key aspects that the Crimson Tide will need to improve if it wants to have a shot at upsetting the Tigers in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

LSU is the only remaining team in the SEC undefeated in conference play with a record of 6-0. The Tigers have won eight-straight games and are looking to make the Crimson Tide their ninth.

In order to make the game difficult for Alabama, LSU needs to keep the Crimson Tide from making threes and avoid sending it to the free-throw line, two aspects that Alabama has thrived on all season.

Pregame

• Tonight's game is scheduled to tip at 6 p.m. CT (ESPN 2).
• Per Cecil Hurt of the Tuscaloosa News, due to illness, graduate-student guard James 'Beetle' Bolden will be sitting out the game tonight.
• Starting five for Alabama: sophomore guard Kira Lewis, Jr., freshman guard Jaden Shackelford, junior forward/guard Herbert Jones, junior forward Alex Reese and junior forward Galin Smith.
• Starting five for LSU: sophomore guard Javonte Smart, senior guard Skylar Mays, sophomore forward Darius Days, freshman forward Trendon Watford and sophomore forward Emmitt Williams.
• Crimson Tide junior guard John Petty, Jr. is not in Alabama's starting lineup tonight, making it the first time this season that Petty has not started. He will be playing off the bench tonight.

First Half

• LSU wins the tip, Smart scores with a short jumper.
• Shackelford nails a three for the Crimson Tide's first points of the game.
• Days hits a three of his own, Smith responds for Alabama with two more. We are tied at five apiece with 17:40 remaining in the first half.
• Days makes another three.
• Jones for Alabama makes a dunk.
• Missed two by Days. rebounded by Smith.
• Mays is fouled by Lewis and proceeds to make both threes.
• Jones falls down hard on the court, but walks to the bench on his own. Media timeout.
• At the break, LSU leads Alabama 10-7 with 16:05 left in the first half. LSU is doing well from beyond the arc, hitting two of its first four attempts from 3-point land. The Tigers are also dominating the glass with five rebounds compared to the Crimson Tide's one.
• Petty enters the game for Jones while freshman forward Javian Davis enters for Smith.
• Davis fouls Williams, who hits both free throws.
• Petty is called for an offensive foul, turnover.
• Davis gets the dunk for LSU, Reese responds with a three.
• Lewis gets the steal, passes it to Shackelford who gets the fast-break three.
• Days makes a layup for two.
• Davis blocks a shots by LSU, then goes down the court for the layup and is fouled. Basket counts.
• Davis makes the and one.
• Davis fouls Williams. Williams gets the and one for the three-point play.
• Reese gets called for his first personal foul. Williams makes both of his free throws.
• Lewis penetrates the paint and gets a layup good for two.
• Turnover by LSU. Alabama ball. Media timeout.
• Alabama tails LSU 21-18 with 11:46 left to go in the first half. The Crimson Tide has forced LSU to turn the ball over three times but has failed to score any points off of the turnovers. Shackelford leads Alabama with six points, while Williams leads LSU with nine.
• Forbes misses two 3-pointers, Watford gets the rebound then gets two in the paint.
• Reese makes his second three of the day.
• Alabama has fouled LSU eight times, resulting in nine points for the Tigers. Meanwhile, LSU has only fouled Alabama four times, with the Crimson Tide making one of its three free-throw attempts.
• Media timeout. Alabama trails LSU 33-25 with 7:41 left in the first half. The Tigers continue to dominate the glass with 17 rebounds, including six offensive rebounds. If the Crimson Tide wants to stay in this game, it needs to start controlling the glass.
• Williams slams home a dunk on the fast break.
• Davis picks up his third personal. Williams heads to the free-throw line and makes both shots. Williams is now 7-for-7 from the charity stripe.
• Aundre Hyatt steals the ball from Alabama, Williams dunks the ball for his 14th and 15th points of the game. Timeout Alabama.
• LSU has blown this game wide open, leading Alabama 41-25 with 6:20 left in the first. Alabama is shooting 37 percent from the field and 25 percent from three-point land.
• Williams gets two more points off of a layup.
• Shackelford misses a deep three, rebounded by Watford.
• Forbes makes two with a layup. Timeout LSU.
• Forbes' two ends a 14-0 run for LSU. Williams accounted for eight of those points.
• Forbes makes two more on a short jumper.
• Lewis commit his third personal foul. Mays heads for the free-throw line.
• Mays makes both of his attempts. LSU now leads 47-29.
• Mays makes a two, bringing the Tigers' lead to 20 points.
• Mays gets called for an offensive foul, charge taken by Jones.
• Petty is fouled. LSU head coach Will Wade isn't happy, gets a warning from the referees.
• Petty makes both of his free throws, LSU leads by 16.
• Watford gets caught traveling, turnover.
• Hyatt gets a basket right at the buzzer to end the half. Halftime score: Alabama 33, LSU 51

Halftime Notes

• Not surprisingly, LSU is owning the glass with 28 rebounds compared to Alabama's 15 in the first half. The Tigers have eight offensive rebounds and are maintaining control of the ball. The Crimson Tide is having to earn every single rebound it gets, making it difficult for it to get any momentum going.
• Reese leads Alabama in points with 10 total with Shackelford placing second with eight points. Petty leads the Crimson Tide in rebounds with five.
• For LSU, Williams leads the Tigers with 17 points. Seven of those points came from the free-throw line. Days is second on the team with 10 points. Williams and Watford are tied for the lead in rebounds with seven apiece.
• Alabama halftime keys: take control of the rebounding and make better shooting decisions. The Crimson Tide is just 13-for-37 from the floor, shooting 36 percent.
• LSU halftime keys: keep doing what you're doing. Keep controlling the rebounding game and keep taking advantage of open shots. Keeping up the momentum from the free-throw line won't hurt either. The Tigers are 17-for-18 from the charity stripe thus far.

Second Half

• Alabama starts the second half with a three by Shackelford.
• Watford and Jones exchange layups for two.
• Jones is fouled but misses his free throw.
• Mays gets two at the shot-clock buzzer.
• Jones gets another two.
• Alabama is already showing a huge boost in energy and effort but is failing to stop LSU from its continuous scoring.
• Shackelford makes a fast-break three, cutting the LSU lead to 12.
• Petty steals the ball, but Watford steals it back at the opposite end of the court.
• Blocking foul on Jones.
• Offensive foul on Marlon Taylor. Turnover in Alabama's favor.
• Watford sinks a 3-pointer.
• Lewis nails a three.
• Media timeout. Alabama continues to trail LSU 58-46 with 15:16 remaining in the game. While Alabama is showing promise with improved energy and rebounding, LSU continues to dominate the glass and already has eight rebounds this half.
• Lewis makes a 2-pointer that will later be reviewed.
• Watford makes a short jumper for two.
• Williams is called for goaltending on a shot by Davis. Two points for Alabama.
• Shackelford gets the rebound, Forbes misses the corner three. Rebound Watford.
• Davis fouls Mays for his fourth foul. Mays heads to the line.
• Mays makes both free throws.
• Forbes makes a three from the corner.
• Mays gets another layup, throw in is stolen then dunked by Hyatt.
• Taylor gets two more for the Tigers. Lewis gets a jumper in the paint for Alabama.
• Days commits the offensive foul for his fourth foul. Turnover. Media timeout.
• With 11:30 left in the game, LSU leads Alabama 68-55. The Crimson Tide needs to reduce its fouling of the Tigers. LSU is now 19-for-20 from the free-throw line. Alabama has improved in the rebounding game, though, cutting LSU to 11 rebounds so far this half.
• Lewis' earlier shot is ruled a 2-pointer.
• Lewis gets a short two.
• Another buzzer-beater two by Mays.
• Mays gets called for his third foul of the game. Jones will inbound.
• Lewis gets his 12th and 13th points of the game with a short layup.
• Mays is blocked from behind by Reese. Reese then misses the fast-break 3-pointer.
• Smart turns the ball over for LSU.
• Petty penetrates the paint for a dunk and his first field goal of the game.
• Williams gets the short jumper for two.
• Jones is fouled and makes one of his two free throws. The Crimson Tide trails by 10.
• Williams now has 21 points on the night with another two.
• Smart closes out a long possession with a 2-pointer from the free-throw line.
• Reese makes his third 3-pointer of the game.
• Smart is now in double figures with a jumper good for two.
• Media timeout. Alabama trails 78-67 with 7:06 left. There is still plenty of time on the clock for the Crimson Tide to make a comeback, but with every failed rebound and missed field goal Alabama's chances become slimmer.
• Score is now 82-71 LSU with 4:45 remaining.
• Jones gets the rebound, Petty coughs up the ball for another turnover. Smart gets the short jumper for two.
• Shackelford misses the three, ball goes out of the end of the court. Turnover. Media timeout.
• LSU Leads 84-71 with 3:56 remaining. Alabama has attempted a comeback but is starting to tire out.
• Reese misses a three, rebounded by LSU.
• Alabama is now 9-for-36 from beyond the arc.
• Shackelford misses another 3-point attempt.
• Shackelford's layup rolls around the entire rim before popping out. LSU rebounds and Williams gets the dunk.
• Lewis misses a jumper, rebounded by Hyatt.
• Watford makes a layup.
• Reese successfully makes the layup.
• Petty is called for a foul.
• Another layup for Watford. That is his 16th and 17th points of the game.
• Shackelford makes a three.
• Clock expires. Final score: LSU 90, Alabama 76.