Alabama 59, South Carolina 51: Levi Randolph scored 17 points and Rodney Cooper contributed all 11 of his points in the second half to lift the host Crimson Tide.

Retin Obasohan added 15 points as part of a balanced scoring effort for Alabama (17-11, 7-8 SEC), which received eight points each from Jimmie Taylor and Riley Norris. The Crimson Tide limited South Carolina (13-14, 4-11) to one field goal in the final five minutes while shooting 50 percent from the field.

Laimonas Chatkevicius scored a career-high 18 points for the Gamecocks, who shot 34.5 percent from the field. Duane Notice finished 4-of-11 from 3-point range to score 16 points, but leading scorer Sindarius Thornwell went 2-of-14 from the field and missed all eight of his 3-point attempts, scoring four points.

Notice opened the second half with a pair of 3-pointers to put the Gamecocks ahead 31-28 before the Crimson Tide responded with a 13-2 surge, as Taylor’s dunk with 13 minutes to play pushed Alabama’s lead to 41-33. Chatkevicius and Notice combined for South Carolina’s next 13 points with Chatkevicius tying the contest at 46 on a tip-in with just over seven minutes left.

Baskets from Cooper and Randolph put Alabama’s lead at four before Michael Carrera’s 3-pointer with five minutes to go pulled South Carolina within 50-49. Randolph hit a leaning jumper and two free throws from Cooper and Obasohan extended the lead to seven with 1:44 to play, and South Carolina got no closer than five points the rest of the way.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Randolph scored 10 points in the opening half but both teams endured nine-minute stretches with only two field goals. … Alabama lost F Shannon Hale to a foot injury late in the first half. … South Carolina G Marcus Stroman (throat infection) played for the first time in five games, finishing with two assists and one steal.