TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Kennedy Winston scored 21 points and No. 19 Alabama held LSU without a point for nearly 9 minutes in the second half of a 73-58 victory on Saturday night.
The Crimson Tide (12-3, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) turned a one-point game into an easy win with a 17-0 run and handed the Tigers (6-5, 0-1) their fourth loss in five games.
Winston fueled the run with eight points and a couple of big defensive plays, getting 15 points after halftime to reach 1,000 points for his career. Earnest Shelton added 19 points and Ronald Steele had 14, including nine in a row during a key stretch of the first half. Chuck Davis added 10 points and eight rebounds.
The Tigers managed little offense inside before halftime and didn’t produce much outside in the second half. Glen Davis had 13 points and seven rebounds to lead LSU, while Darrel Mitchell and Antonio Hudson had 11 apiece. Hudson left with an apparent leg injury midway through the second half.
Leading scorer Brandon Bass finished with just 10 points, seven below his average.
The Tigers hit just 7 of 24 shots in the second half after shooting 57 percent in the first half to trail 35-34.
The Tide led just 43-42 with 16:06 left before turning up the defensive intensity. LSU wouldn’t score again until Mitchell’s 3-pointer with 7:34 left. Bass had scored the Tigers’ first eight points of the half but was a nonfactor late in the game.
The Tigers cut it to 65-57 on Mitchell’s 3-pointer with 3:32 left but Steele’s 3 and a quick LSU turnover ended the comeback hopes.
The Tigers committed 18 turnovers while forcing just nine.
Alabama shot just 3-of-16 from 3-point range but the league’s top free throw shooting team hit 20 of 24 from the line to end a three-game losing streak in the series.
The Tide’s inability to defend the 3-point shot kept them from building much of a first-half lead. The Tigers hit only six shots in a six-minute span but all were 3-pointers for a 24-18 lead.
Steele then fueled a 13-2 rally with nine consecutive points, starting with two free throws after a technical was called on Tack Minor and ending with a 3.
Alabama had lost its SEC opener to Vanderbilt after allowing nine 3s in the first half.