TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A solemn Mark Sears watched on from No. 4 Alabama basketball’s bench throughout the second half of the Crimson Tide’s 80-73 win over LSU on Saturday night. After failing to score in the first half, the star guard did not see the floor following the intermission, as the Tide overcame a slow start to survive a gritty performance from their visitors.
According to the ESPN broadcast, Sear’s absence in the second half was not due to an injury.
“We went with the guys in the second half that we thought gave us the best chance to win this game, and we won the game,” Alabama head coach Nate Oats said. “And our defense was significantly better than the first half. And we haven’t done that very often this year. So, that’s all I’m going to say about that.”-
Sears played 17 minutes in the first half, failing to score on 0 of 5 shooting from the floor, including 0 of 2 from beyond the arc. He had three rebounds and three assists with a pair of turnovers.
Sears has started all 20 games for Alabama and leads the team averaging 18.1 points and 4.8 assists.
This story will be updated.
