LSU sophomore forward Tari Eason giveth and Tari Eason taketh away Saturday.

Eason’s senseless foul near midcourt with 12.3 seconds left in regulation led to two game-tying free throws by Alabama’s Keon Ellis to send the game to overtime tied 72-72

Then, with Tide holding a 3-point lead in the extra period, four straight Eason points including a transition layup with 38 seconds left after he blocked a 3-point attempt by Ellis gave LSU the lead for good in an 80-77 Tigers’ SEC victory on Senior Day in the regular season finale in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

“I messed up and I told the guys and I especially told myself that I didn't want to have a bitter taste in my mouth, especially with this the last time (at home),” said Eason, who scored 20 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and had 3 steals. “So, I did whatever I could just to get it back (in overtime).”

Alabama’s offensive rebounding – 17 retrieves leading to 19 second-chance points – and its 20 of 22 free throw accuracy – almost enabled the Crimson Tide (19-12 overall, 9-9 SEC) to sweep the season series over LSU (21-10, 9-9 SEC) for a second consecutive year.

But in overtime, Alabama had one offensive rebound and no free throws while LSU had two offensive boards leading to 2 second chance-points and hit 2 of 2 free throws coming from sophomore guard Eric Gaines with 7 seconds left for the final 3-point victory margin.

“We played pretty good basketball again,” LSU coach Will Wade said. “We had some chances in the first half, couldn’t quite get it done but all the records reset now. We have played the toughest schedule in the league by far and hopefully that will pay dividends for us as we get into tournament time. But, we are going to have to be cleaner down the stretch and cleaner in six minutes games particularly defensively.”

Senior Darius Days, making his 91st start in his final home game as a Tiger, had one of the best all-around games of his career. He scored 24 points, mixing 3 3-pointers with strong, patient inside offense, and collected 7 rebounds.

But Alabama, with 40 of its 61 field goal attempts coming from behind the 3-point line (11 made 3’s), breaking the Tide’s five-game winning streak over LSU was a 45-minute defensive scramble for the Tigers.

“If we overhelp, they're gonna kick a ball to the corner or the wing (for a 3-pointer),” Days said. “They’re going to shoot a three or go by you for a layup. This is something that we just had to adjust to because a lot of teams that we played against don’t play like them.”

Much to the chagrin of Alabama coach Nate Oats, LSU countered the Crimson Tide's dominance in offensive rebounding and free throws by causing 21 turnovers (including 16 Tigers’ steals) leading to 21 LSU points.

“Our turnovers are a major issue right now,” Oats said. “That’s 94 points off turnovers (for opponents) in the last three games. Every little detail matters in these games, especially on the road. Our defense has markedly improved since the second half of the Texas A&M game, but Eason and Days got going. They did a good job.”

Ellis led Alabama with 19 points, followed by Jahvon Quinerly’s 16 and Davison’s 12.

Junior Jaden Shackelford, who entered the game as the Tide’s leading scorer averaging 16.9 points, scored just 6 points on 3 for 14 shooting (0 for 8 3-pointers).

“They're hard to guard in half court,” Wade said of Alabama. “They can just whip you off the balance and they knock that first domino down and then just spin it like a top until they decide who they want to shoot the open three. They had that happen two or three times, but it didn't happen as frequently as it typically happens.”

Twenty-two of Alabama’s 38 first-half points came from 11 second-chance points off 9 offensive rebounds and 11 points from 6 LSU turnovers. The Tigers’ last turnover on the final offensive possession of the first half led to the Crimson Tide’s Noah Gurley throwing down a buzzer-beating for a 38-36 lead.

The Tigers played relatively well in most phases in the opening half, staying away from an abundance of turnovers and senseless fouls. But a couple of previous problem areas re-appeared with LSU missing 4 of 10 free throws and giving up too many offensive rebounds.

On three straight possessions in a 71-second span, Alabama scored unchallenged follow shots (two by Shackelford, one by Davison) off backside rebounding.

From beginning to the end and beyond to overtime, neither team ever held a double-digit lead or had a scoring run of more than 8 points. LSU held the lead for 16:16, just 22 seconds more than Alabama at 15:54.

The win was vital for LSU as it enters postseason with 5 wins its last 8 games after a stretch where it lost 6 of 7 games when senior Xavier Pinson rehabbed a hurt knee.

The Tigers will find out Saturday night their opponent for their first game Thursday in the SEC tournament in Tampa. LSU finished the regular season in a five-way tie for fifth in the league with Alabama, Florida, South Carolina and the winner of Saturday night's Texas A&M-Mississippi State game.

If Texas A&M beats Mississippi State, LSU will be the No. 5 seed. If State beats A&M, the Tigers will be the No. 6 seed.

“There's some things we can do to get better,” Wade said. “We’re going to keep plugging away and keep working. Excited to get to Tampa next week.”