The LSU Tigers Are Unable to Stop Alabama’s Basketball Offence
In Alabama’s victory over LSU, Aason Estrada tallied 15 points and seven assists.
In Saturday’s basketball game against LSU, Alabama allowed a few leads to slip away, but in the closing minutes, the Crimson Tide crushed the opposition, winning 109-92 in Baton Rouge. Bama scored 100 points or more in seven of its games this year, including its second-highest total of 109 against the Tigers. Five Bama players scored in double figures, with at least 15 points each.
At the Maravich Assembly Centre, the 16th-ranked Tide scored 60 points in the second half.
With a record of 16-7 overall and 9-2 in the league, Alabama guaranteed itself of maintaining at least a share of the Southeastern Conference lead through the weekend. LSU lost 4-6 in SEC play and finished 12-11 overall.
Alabama will host Texas A&M on Saturday after taking a midweek break.
Mark Sears continues to be Alabama’s top scorer despite having a poor shooting night (7-19 from the field); he added 23 points against the Tigers. Latrell Wrightsell led Alabama in rebounds with ten, scored twenty-one points, and made six of nine three-pointers. After coming off the bench, Nick Pringle scored 17 points on 8–9 field goals and 1–1 foul shots. In addition to a team-high 7 assists, Aaron Estrada had 15, and Rylan Griffen had 16.
With 22 points in the first half, 7-0 centre Will Baker was unstoppable; in the second half, he managed just two more points. Jalen Cook led the Tigers with 20 points.
Alabama made 38 of 81 shots, or 47 percent, from the field. Despite taking 21 more shots than LSU, the Tigers only made 33–60, or 55 percent of their total. The Tide made 18 of 44 three-pointers for 41% of the game, while the Tigers made 7 of 19 for 37%. LSU shot 19–26 for 73 percent of free throws, while Alabama shot 15–17 for 88 percent.
In the game, the Tide committed just 8 turnovers while LSU committed 12. Alabama gained 23 points from LSU’s mistakes, while the Tigers gained 6 points from Alabama’s.
With 19 offensive rebounds to LSU’s meagre 6, Alabama prevailed in the rebounding war 43–31. The Tigers were also outscored 28–8 on second chance points.
Although LSU led Alabama by 44–38 in paint points, the fast break points were closer than anticipated, with Bama leading by just 15–13.
LSU had 15 assists compared to 25 for Alabama.
In terms of steals, the Tide led the Tigers 8–5, while in terms of blocked shots, the Tide led 4-2.
The game was tied six times and there were 17 lead changes, but only two of each in the second half.
Just three points ahead at the half, Alabama stretched their lead to twelve five and a half minutes into the second half, when they were up 64-52. However, LSU was still in it; with nine and a half minutes remaining, they were up 73-72 after being tied 71-71 at the ten-minute mark.
It took a 12-point lead at 90-78 thanks to a 16-5 run that saw Estrada score six points. From there, it was on to 100 and beyond for the 19-point victory.
Coming into Baton Rouge, Oats had preached defence, and in the first half, it was all but nonexistent, with the Tide leading 49–46. 49 points in the first half is a lot, but after Wrightsell made three free throws with 4:14 remaining, Alabama had a 10-point lead. However, Alabama was outscored 9-2 in the remaining minutes, with Will Baker of LSU accounting for the majority of his 22 first-half points (7-0 inside the zone). It was also inside that the Tigers were consuming Tide guards.
Despite there having been four ties and fifteen lead changes up until that point, a Sears three-pointer midway through the half put Bama ahead 28–26, and the Tide did not trail the remainder of the half.
Wrightsell and Sears each scored 12 points in the first half.
TIDE NOTES: Grant Nelson, a forward, and guards Mark Sears, Aaron Estrada, Rylan Griffen, and Latrell Wrightsell were the starting members for Alabama.
Alabama’s victory, 109-92, narrowly missed the 109-88 score from the previous Tuscaloosa game. (Advantage of playing at home?)
This season, Sears has scored 20 points or more in 15 games, which is a record set by Retin Obasohan (2015) and Brandon Miller (2016) as well as the most since Collin Sexton had 16 games with 20 points or more in 2017–18.
According to ESPN, it was Bama’s seventh game of the season with 100 points or more, the most in the SEC in a season in the previous 30 years.
Oats is currently 9-2 when playing LSU.
