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The Tuscaloosa News
Mark Sears, Alabama basketball use second half to crush South Carolina
- Story byThe Tuscaloosa News
- Mark Sears, Alabama basketball use second half to crush South Carolina
One of the in-venue hosts tried her best to get the crowd riled up. She asked Alabama basketball fans at Coleman Coliseum to get on their feet. A few did, scattered throughout the arena. That was the minority, though.
Most stayed in their seats.
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That about summed up the energy level for the first half vs. South Carolina on Tuesday. A crowd that was already on the lighter side didn't have a whole lot to cheer about; Before the break, Alabama had played an overall underwhelming brand of basketball.
That changed when Mark Sears hit Rylan Griffen who slammed home the dunk for the score. The next possession, Aaron Estrada drained a triple. The crowd erupted only a few minutes into the second half. A majority stood celebrating as Alabama took its largest lead yet of the game.
The crowd had awakened, and so, too, had Alabama.
The Crimson Tide rode that surge to a victory over South Carolina , defeating the Gamecocks 74-47 in the SEC home opener. Alabama out-scored South Carolina 44-18 in the second half.
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Here are observations from the game between Alabama (10-5, 2-0 SEC) and South Carolina (13-2, 1-1).
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Alabama basketball struggles to get boards in first half
At one point early in the first half, the Gamecocks grabbed three straight rebounds. The worst part was, two of those occurred on the offensive glass. And to cap it all off, the ball went out of bounds off Alabama right after the three straight rebounds.
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It was one of the low points of an otherwise unimpressive first half on the glass for the Crimson Tide.
South Carolina out-muscled and out-hustled Alabama many times, and that often resulted in winning the rebounding battle. At halftime, the Gamecocks held a 19-12 rebounding edge.
That was one stat not in Alabama's favor early. Neither were points in the paint. The Crimson Tide trailed 16-8 in that stat as well before halftime.
Still, somehow, the Crimson Tide held a 30-29 lead at halftime. 3-point shooting, particularly from Mark Sears, was to thank.
Mark Sears vital in second half crushing of South Carolina
Sears not only kept the Crimson Tide in the game, but he also led the charge as Alabama took control in the second half.
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Sears knocked down shots, created shots for his teammates, finished at the rim, grabbed boards and forced steals. Simply put, Sears made plays. Again and again. He was a prominent part of an Alabama team that made the first half look like a distant memory as it outscored and outrebounded South Carolina by significant margins; Alabama had a 24-12 edge on the glass in the second half.
Sears finished the game with 31 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.
What's next?
The Crimson Tide will be back on the road but won't have to go far; Alabama will face Mississippi State on Saturday (7:30 p.m., SEC Network) in Starkville, Mississippi. Then next week, the Crimson Tide will face Missouri at Coleman Coliseum on Tuesday (6 p.m,, SEC Network) before a trip to Knoxville to face Tennessee the following Saturday.
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Nick Kelly is the Alabama beat writer for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network, and he covers Alabama football and men's basketball. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter .
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama basketball: Second half difference in win vs. South Carolina
