TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Aden Holloway contributed 19 points while Mouhamed Dioubate added 14 points, leading No. 4 Alabama to an 80-73 victory over LSU on Saturday evening, despite a scoreless performance from their leading scorer. This win marked the second consecutive game in which Holloway and Dioubate made substantial contributions off the bench, having combined for a notable 44 points in their previous game against Vanderbilt.
Alabama’s guard Mark Sears, who has been the SEC’s top scorer averaging 19 points per game, did not return for the second half after struggling to find his rhythm in the first half, finishing without any points and hitting only 0-for-5 from the field. On the other side, Jordan Sears topped the scoring for LSU with 21 points, while Cam Carter added 17 points and Corey Chest contributed impressively with 12 points and 18 rebounds.
Looking at some key takeaways from the game, LSU demonstrated a strong performance on the boards. Entering this matchup, Alabama was leading the SEC in rebounding statistics, but Chest’s dominant 18 rebounds—nine of which were on the offensive end—shifted the control of the game. LSU ended up grabbing 13 offensive rebounds in the first half, which allowed them an additional 12 attempts at scoring and contributed to a tightly contested first half that concluded at 40-40.
In the absence of Sears during the second half, Holloway became essential, taking 12 of Alabama’s 35 shots in that period, clearly stepping up as a key scoring option to steer Alabama’s efforts effectively.
A crucial moment occurred late in the game when LSU found themselves down by five points heading into the final media timeout. However, their next three possessions resulted in a blocked shot, a turnover, and a missed attempt, allowing Alabama to score eight consecutive points. When LSU finally called a timeout, they faced a daunting 13-point deficit with only two minutes left on the clock.
Statistically, LSU faced difficulties from beyond the arc, finishing the night with a disappointing 3-for-23 performance on three-pointers.
Next, Alabama will hit the road to face No. 14 Mississippi State on Wednesday night, while LSU will play host to No. 1 Auburn on the same evening.
