TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — With 90 seconds to the finish line, the Providence Friars had a vital upset win in their sights. Then disaster struck.

A late-game meltdown ruined the Friars’ trip to the South as Alabama closed the game on a 10-0 run to beat PC, 84-75. The Friars finished the final minute and a half with two missed 3-pointers, two costly turnovers and one huge defensive lapse.

“We were doing a good job and finally got the lead but we didn’t get the defensive stop that we needed,” said PC’s Marshon Brooks. “This one hurts. These are the types of games you can’t get back.”

For the longest time, the Friars were seemingly in perfect position to grab the victory. With Jamine Peterson carrying the load inside and Brooks doing his best Paul Pierce imitation, the Friars led by 37-33 at the half and trailed by either three or one point for the majority of the second half. PC went ahead, 73-72, on two Peterson free throws with 2:02 left, and a tough spin move in the lane by Brooks made it 75-74 with 1:36 left.

But ’Bama’s Andrew Steele broke free on an out-of-bounds play for a score and a foul with 1:10 left to put the Tide back in front. Brooks then had the ball stolen by Mikhail Torrance with 47 seconds left, and he breezed in for a layup and a foul on Sharaud Curry. His free throw pushed the lead to 79-75.

A Brian McKenzie 3-point miss led to another Torrance free throw, and when Brooks lost the ball again with 28 seconds left, the Friars were cooked.

Alabama, now 2-1, was led by Torrance’s career-best 26 points. JaMychal Green added 15 points and 12 rebounds and fellow big man Justin Knox made 11 of 12 free throws and finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Asked how Steele sprung free for the go-ahead score, Alabama coach Anthony Grant said, “I think it was a breakdown on their part. They were looking to get a trap and Andrew snuck away and was fortunate to get that basket.”

Peterson scored a career-high 27 points for the Friars and added 14 rebounds. Brooks chipped in 22 points. Curry did not score a point until he made two free throws with 12 minutes left in the game and finished missing all nine of his field-goal tries.

“Anytime you lose a close game, it’s always a missed opportunity,” said PC coach Keno Davis. “You’re disappointed. There were some really good positives, too. We’ve got to use this as a springboard for us for the next few weeks.”

Asked about the final 90 seconds, Davis said, “The turnovers were tough, but I called those plays. I wanted Marshon to have the ball there. With such a young team, I have to understand that some of the mistakes and physical errors, I have to live with them. It’s how we improve from here.”

Both Brooks and Peterson came out flying in a productive first half for the Friars. Duke Mondy hit PC’s first field goal and first 3-pointer of the game to get PC rolling but then Peterson took over. He put back his own miss for a hoop, hit a nice floater in the lane and then banged home a 3-point shot. An Alabama turnover led to a fastbreak that ended with Peterson gliding to the rim with a nice finger-roll finish.

That score gave PC a 17-13 lead and then it was Brooks’ turn. His swished a deep 3-pointer for a 22-16 lead, a nice stop-and-pop 12 foot jumper and then a driving runner off the glass that kept PC in charge, 26-21. Alabama responded with its best run of the half as it ripped off nine straight points to grab a 30-26 lead.

The Friars switched defenses into a zone at that point and the Tide went cold. Over the final 4:25 of the half, Providence outscored the home team, 11-3. McKenzie hit a nice 3-pointer at the start of the run but Brooks ended it with a behind-the-back, Paul Pierce-like fallaway jumper that gave the Friars a 37-33 lead at the half. The hoop gave him 14 first half points.

Alabama shot 29 percent in the opening half and made just 1 of 8 threes. The Tide changed its tune at the start of the second, however. The home team made four of its first five shots to regain the lead, 46-43. The lead grew to five points but a steady diet of Peterson’s board game and low-post scoring kept the Friars close. Curry finally scored his first points with 12 minutes left when he hit two free throws that tied it at 53-53.

The teams then played back and forth for most of the rest of the half. Alabama held leads of no more than three points and then PC grabbed the lead. But the late-game mistakes proved fatal.

kmcnamar@projo.com