Nate Oats wanted to see his team’s maturity in Saturday night’s game against LSU, especially since Alabama was aiming for an SEC title.
The Crimson Tide had to prove themselves without their top scorer for the second half, and after some early turnovers and mistakes, they managed to pull away in the final minutes to win 80-73 at Coleman Coliseum.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our guys in the second half,” Oats said.
Mark Sears, who has been averaging nearly 19 points per game this season, was scoreless in the first half and didn’t play at all in the second half.
Oats didn’t give a specific reason but said the coaching staff chose to play the players who gave the team the best chance to win.
Forward Clifford Omoruyi also didn’t start the second half, though Oats was happy with his performance after he grabbed four points and seven rebounds in the second half.
The game was close, with 13 lead changes and eight ties. Alabama led by five or six points for most of the second half, but they went on an 8-0 run after the last media timeout to lead by 13 with just over two minutes left. LSU fought back and cut the lead to six with less than a minute to go.
In the first half, Alabama struggled with turnovers and allowed LSU to get 13 offensive rebounds. That kept LSU in the game, and the score was tied 40-40 at halftime.
In the second half, Alabama improved, allowing just four offensive rebounds and only four second-chance points. Guard Aden Holloway said the team focused on rebounding at halftime.
“In the first half, we were playing–– not bad ––but they would just give that little extra effort to go get the offensive rebound,” Holloway said. “And we just made it a super key to just give that little bit of extra umph to just finish the possession, give us extra possessions on offense.”
The Crimson Tide also improved their free throw shooting, hitting 79 percent and making crucial free throws in the final minutes.
Chris Youngblood made his first start for Alabama, scoring seven of the team’s first nine points and finishing with 13 points. Holloway led the team with 19 points.
“It felt good,” Youngblood said after the game. “You know, it’s funny, because at first, my family thought I was going to be mad about not starting, but I was like, ‘Man, this team is wonderful.'”
With the win, Alabama improves to 17-3 (6-1 SEC). They will face No. 14 Mississippi State next on Wednesday.
