TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The LSU men’s basketball team overcame a huge obstacle when it defeated Alabama, 93-60, on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa, Ala. More important than beating the Crimson Tide and improving to .500 in the league, LSU won its first Southeastern Conference road game since Jan. 17, 1998, when LSU beat Florida, 66-63.
The Tigers (17-4, 4-4 SEC), which had been mired in an 16-game Southeastern Confernce losing steak on the road, are coming off a heartbreaking loss to Mississippi State in Starkville where LSU led by 11 with five minutes to play before and couldn’t make another basket in a 68-66 loss.
The 33-point win was LSU’s biggest over Alabama in the 84-year, 143-game history of the rivalry. The previous highest margin of victory over the Tide, 29 points, came both in 1971 (107-78) and 1917 (38-9).
That wasn’t going to happen to John Brady‘s Tigers Saturday night as LSU opened up a 20-point lead, 35-15, with 5:05 left to play in the first half before Alabama scored a three-point basket to break an eight-minute scoreless streak.
In the second half, the Tigers continued to capitalize on the Tide’s turnovers, breaking out to a 31-point lead, 62-31, with 13:00 left in the game after an 8-0 run. LSU led by as much as 35, 68-33, with 10:41 remaining in the game.
LSU, which won its first game in Tuscaloosa since 1996, was led by Stromile Swift who scored 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
Collis Temple, who sprained his ankle Thursday and was on crutches Friday, made a remarkable recovery to not only play against the Tide but also score 11 points off the bench. Ronald Dupree also scored 12 off the bench.
Alabama (10-10, 3-5 SEC), which has been plagued by injuries over the past week, was led by Erwin Dudley who scored 16.
LSU returns to Baton Rouge for its next game Wednesday against Auburn at 7 p.m. Although there will be no television for that contest, live streaming video will be provided for members of the eTigers Den. For more infomation on how to join, click here.