No. 4 Alabama survives scrappy fight against LSU

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — No. 4 Alabama was given a tough test against LSU on Saturday night, but the Crimson Tide survived with a 80-73 win. The victory moved Alabama to 17-3 on the season and 6-1 in SEC play.

Alabama made a change in the starting lineup for the first time since December, moving Chris Youngblood into the lineup in place of Labaron Philon, who tweaked his ankle in practice this week. Alongside Youngblood were the typical starters of Mark Sears, Jarin Stevenson, Grant Nelson and Cliff Omoruyi.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Alabama started the game down 7-2, but Youngblood game out of the gate with an excellent start in the first start of his Crimson Tide career. He scored seven points on perfect 3-for-3 shooting in the opening four minutes, and was the assists man on the Crimson Tide’s only other bucket. At the game’s first media timeout, Alabama led 9-7.

Alabama’s offense struggled to find any rhythm early, going on a 3-minute scoring drought that coincided with an 8-0 run for LSU. The Tigers had Alabama doubled up in rebounds at the under-12, and had a 17-13 lead.

Alabama answered the run with an 8-0 run of its own, as Aden Holloway finally got going off the bench. He scored five straight on his own during the run, knocking down Alabama’s second three of the game. The Tide went into the under-8 timeout leading 23-21, after an LSU bucket stopped the run.

LSU continued to battle down the stretch of the first half, forcing turnovers and outrebounding Alabama to stay in the game. The game was tied at 40 apiece going into halftime, with the Tigers leading the battle on the glass 23-16, with a 13-5 advantage on the offensive glass. Eight first half turnovers lead to 13 points off turnovers for LSU. To go along with it, Sears didn’t score a single point in the first half.

Oats made a change in the second half, benching Sears and Omoruyi and starting Holloway and Dioubate in their places. Holloway knocked down two threes in the first 4-minutes of the half, giving Alabama a 2-point lead at the half’s first media timeout.

Alabama upped the intensity and energy over the next few minutes, playing with a level of toughness it hadn’t up to that point in the game. Nelson scored some big-time buckets, and headed into the under-12, the Crimson Tide held a 5-point lead.

The Tide pushed its lead to seven points as the under-8 timeout came, with the game feeling sloppier and more physical with every possession. Sears had yet to play a single minute in the half for an unknown reason, and Dioubate left the game with an injury, leaving Alabama even more shorthanded for the stretch run of the game.

As the game neared its end Alabama kept LSU at arm’s length with continued blue-collar effort both on defense and on the glass, taking a 5-point lead at the under-4 and going on an 8-0 to essentially seal the game.

PLAYERS OF THE GAME

Aden Holloway — 19 points, 4 rebounds

Chris Youngblood — 13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists

Mo Dioubate — 14 points, 5 rebounds

WHAT’S NEXT

After two games at home, Alabama will hit the road on Wednesday night to take on No. 14 Mississippi State in Starkville. The game will tip off at 8 p.m. CT on SEC Network.

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