NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Alabama Crimson Tide had blown enough leads this season to know nothing is safe. The South Carolina Gamecocks got too comfortable nursing an 18- point margin.

Mikhail Torrance’s 9- foot jumper broke a tie at 62 with 57 seconds left, and Alabama rallied from that deficit in the second half to beat South Carolina 68-63 Thursday in the opening round of the Southeastern Conference tournament.

Alabama (17-14) won a third straight game against an SEC opponent for the first time this season and beat the Gamecocks (15-16) for the second time in eight days after ruining South Carolina’s Senior Night last week.

“I couldn’t be prouder of our efforts, great win,” Alabama coach Anthony Grant said. “Obviously, we’re excited to still be a part of the tournament. I thought it was a great game to open up the SEC tournament.”

It didn’t look that way early as Alabama went cold, going 6:08 without a field goal in a span starting late in the first half and stretching into the second.

Grant reminded his players at halftime to hold onto their composure. The Tide just worked harder at rebounding in limiting their turnovers. They wound up outrebounding South Carolina 42-40 and had just four of their 12 turnovers in the second half.

“Coach tells us to be aggressive throughout the game and never give up fighting,” Tide junior Justin Knox said. “They quivered under pressure, and we were able to come out with the victory.

Alabama will play No. 2 Kentucky in Friday’s quarterfinals. Torrance finished with 17 points, Knox had 16 and JaMychal Green added 10 for Alabama coming off the bench.