Tide rallies late to take down LSU 82-80

Tide avoids a monumental collapse with late game heroics...

            Alabama blew a 19 point lead in the second half.  During that period of time the Alabama coaching staff looked like a deer caught in  the proverbial floodlight. The staff offered no answers for the outstanding run by the LSU Tigers. The players did. Rodney Cooper and Shannon Hale made huge baskets in the last four minutes to save a game that seemed lost. For all the world it seemed that Alabama would continue to fall apart in the last 8 minutes of the second half. The bleeding stopped. Players stepped up and made big plays. Rodney Cooper played his best game of the year and hopefully found his game. He drained 4 three pointers to keep the Tide alive. Shannon Hale, who is rapidly showing the SEC he's a player made a huge three point shot just when Alabama needed it the most. The big freshman drained his shot with 48 seconds left. Releford wheeled a wicked pass to Hale who stepped up and drained the biggest basket of the game. That one put the Tide up 79-77. The Crimson fought hard with a couple of key defensive plays and hung on like grim death. 

         Rodney Cooper stepped in front of Anthony Hickey with 2 seconds left on the clock and swatted away his driving attempt. The Tide moves to one game under .500 and stirs some hope that the NIT might be possible. When looking at the stats the Tide played even on the boards. Alabama finished with 13 turnovers. 12 of those came in the second half when the Tigers upped the full court pressure and Alabama struggled. 

Stars of the Game:  Rodney Cooper and Shannon Hale. 

It was nice to see Grant show a little emotion last night. He got in the faces of several players. When the game was over he had the look of a man who had just gotten a reprieve from death row.  It was nice to see him smile though.

LSU Tigers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Johnny O'Bryant III, F	29	6-11	0-0	6-7	0	5	5	0	0	2	3	3	18
Shavon Coleman, F	36	4-11	1-3	4-5	0	4	4	1	3	1	0	3	13
Jordan Mickey, F	32	5-11	0-0	1-2	3	3	6	0	0	2	1	0	11
Anthony Hickey, G	32	4-7	2-4	0-0	1	2	3	2	0	2	2	4	10
Malik Morgan, G	16	2-6	2-4	0-0	1	2	3	2	1	0	0	3	6
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
John Odo, F	4	1-1	0-0	0-0	1	1	2	0	0	0	0	3	2
Jarell Martin, F	17	2-5	1-1	1-2	2	4	6	0	1	1	4	2	6
Andre Stringer, G	26	4-7	1-4	3-4	1	0	1	6	2	0	2	2	12
Tim Quarterman, G	8	1-3	0-0	0-0	1	0	1	0	1	0	1	1	2
TOTALS		FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
		29-62	7-16	15-20	13	21	34	11	8	8	13	21	80
		46.8%	43.8%	75.0%
Alabama Crimson Tide
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Shannon Hale, F	27	5-14	3-7	4-5	1	1	2	6	1	0	2	2	17
Carl Engstrom, C	19	1-2	0-0	0-0	1	3	4	0	0	1	1	2	2
Algie Key, G	23	0-1	0-0	1-2	0	3	3	4	2	0	2	1	1
Trevor Releford, G	40	6-10	1-1	8-8	1	2	3	4	2	0	3	2	21
Rodney Cooper, G	33	7-12	4-5	1-2	2	4	6	2	0	1	3	3	19
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Nick Jacobs, F	18	3-4	0-0	0-0	0	4	4	1	0	0	3	3	6
Jimmie Taylor, F	13	1-1	0-0	0-0	1	3	4	0	0	2	0	3	2
Levi Randolph, G	27	4-8	0-3	6-9	0	1	1	1	2	0	0	2	14
TOTALS		FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
		27-52	8-16	20-26	8	21	29	18	7	4	14	18	82
		51.9%	50.0%	76.9%

 Technical Fouls: PLAYERS: None - TEAMS: None
 Officials: Tony Greene, Jeff Smith, Joe DeRosa
 Attendance: 12,601

LSU Tigers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Johnny O'Bryant III, F	29	6-11	0-0	6-7	0	5	5	0	0	2	3	3	18
Shavon Coleman, F	36	4-11	1-3	4-5	0	4	4	1	3	1	0	3	13
Jordan Mickey, F	32	5-11	0-0	1-2	3	3	6	0	0	2	1	0	11
Anthony Hickey, G	32	4-7	2-4	0-0	1	2	3	2	0	2	2	4	10
Malik Morgan, G	16	2-6	2-4	0-0	1	2	3	2	1	0	0	3	6
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
John Odo, F	4	1-1	0-0	0-0	1	1	2	0	0	0	0	3	2
Jarell Martin, F	17	2-5	1-1	1-2	2	4	6	0	1	1	4	2	6
Andre Stringer, G	26	4-7	1-4	3-4	1	0	1	6	2	0	2	2	12
Tim Quarterman, G	8	1-3	0-0	0-0	1	0	1	0	1	0	1	1	2
TOTALS		FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
		29-62	7-16	15-20	13	21	34	11	8	8	13	21	80
		46.8%	43.8%	75.0%
Alabama Crimson Tide
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Shannon Hale, F	27	5-14	3-7	4-5	1	1	2	6	1	0	2	2	17
Carl Engstrom, C	19	1-2	0-0	0-0	1	3	4	0	0	1	1	2	2
Algie Key, G	23	0-1	0-0	1-2	0	3	3	4	2	0	2	1	1
Trevor Releford, G	40	6-10	1-1	8-8	1	2	3	4	2	0	3	2	21
Rodney Cooper, G	33	7-12	4-5	1-2	2	4	6	2	0	1	3	3	19
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Nick Jacobs, F	18	3-4	0-0	0-0	0	4	4	1	0	0	3	3	6
Jimmie Taylor, F	13	1-1	0-0	0-0	1	3	4	0	0	2	0	3	2
Levi Randolph, G	27	4-8	0-3	6-9	0	1	1	1	2	0	0	2	14
TOTALS		FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
		27-52	8-16	20-26	8	21	29	18	7	4	14	18	82
		51.9%	50.0%	76.9%

 Technical Fouls: PLAYERS: None - TEAMS: None
 Officials: Tony Greene, Jeff Smith, Joe DeRosa
 Attendance: 12,601