A new starting five breathed new life into the LSU men’s basketball team Saturday night.
After consecutive losses to teams with losing records, the lineup change couldn’t have come at a better time for the Tigers.
LSU (17-6, 6-4 Southeastern Conference) led visiting Alabama (14-9, 4-6 SEC) by as much as 16 points in the first half, extended it to 17 in the second and held off a late rally for a 71-60 victory in the PMAC.
“[This was] exactly what we needed,” said LSU junior guard Keith Hornsby. “We got the job done. [Alabama] started coming back, but we stuck together and got the win that we needed.”

Sophomore Tim Quarterman and freshman Jalyn Patterson started alongside Hornsby in the backcourt for the Tigers, who shot 52.4 percent from the field in the first half to take a 10-point lead at the break.
Sophomore forward Jordan Mickey led LSU in scoring for the third consecutive game with 24 points on a 7-of-11 shooting clp. It was the fourth time in five games and the eighth time this season Mickey scored at least 20 points.
Four of the Tigers’ five starters reached double-figures, which occurred for the first time since Jan. 14. Sophomore forward Jarell Martin scored 16 points, Quarterman added 15 and Hornsby chipped in 10. Patterson tallied just six points but dished out four assists.
“Guys did a good job of making shots,” said LSU coach Johnny Jones. “I thought Jarell and Jordan both were aggressive going toward the rim, which allowed some driving lanes or some open shots for the other guys as well.”
The Tigers shot 50 percent from the field (22-of-44) for the first time since Jan. 20 against Florida, a stretch spanning four games. LSU also won the battle in the paint (28-20), on the glass (40-36) and in assists (12-5).
Alabama senior guard Levi Randolph led the visitors with 17 points, but he missed four of his five 3-point attempts before fouling out with 2:20 left in the game. Tide freshman guard Riley Norris added 12 points off the bench while going 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.
Despite snapping its first losing streak of the season, LSU couldn’t get through the night without a late scare. After the Tigers built a 39-22 lead with 17:12 left in the game, Alabama erupted with a 25-10 burst to pull within two points with less than 10 minutes remaining.
“We knew [the Tide] was going to go on a run because this is a game of runs,” Patterson said. “We just tried to contain them and do what we do.”

After Alabama made its run, the Tigers answered back with an 8-0 burst of their own, highlighted by a Quarterman feed to Martin for a momentum-swinging, two-handed slam.
But LSU’s night was far from perfect, particularly at the free throw line. The Tigers shot just 23-for-38 from the charity stripe, marking the third consecutive game they’ve shot less than 66 percent at the line.
“We missed too many free throws during the game,” Quarterman said. “We need to go in and practice and look to improve our percentage. We just need to be more focused at the line and knock them down every time.”
However, LSU made its trips to the line count down the stretch. The Tigers knocked down 10 of their last 11 free throws to put away the feisty Tide, which has lost six of its last eight games.
The Tigers stormed out of the gate in the first half, using a 21-8 run midway through to build a 16-point lead. LSU went into the break with a 30-20 advantage, its largest at halftime since Dec. 22, 2014, against the College of Charleston.
With two games in the three-game home stand now completed, LSU can turn its attention to No. 1 Kentucky. The Tigers stunned the Wildcats in their last trip to the PMAC with an 87-82 victory last season.
Quarterman said LSU’s much-needed win against Alabama is the ideal way for the team to enter Tuesday’s match against Kentucky, which tips off at 6 p.m.
“This is a big momentum swing for us this game [Saturday],” Quarterman said. “We just want to take this momentum into the next game.”