The Crimson Tide men’s basketball team defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks 74-47 on Tuesday in its league home opener.
South Carolina had the best conference record going into the game, at 13-1, and had just defeated Mississippi State.
Alabama’s forward Nick Pringle took over in the starting lineup in place of the injured Mohamed Wague, who seemed to have a boot on his right foot during the game. With a right foot ailment, Wague is “week-to-week,” according to Alabama head coach Nate Oats.
Both teams had a back-and-forth type of first half. The Crimson Tide committed four turnovers in the first five minutes of the game, which allowed South Carolina to start the game on a 10-3 run that gave the Gamecocks eight points.
But Alabama answered with an 8-0 run of their own, with guard Mark Sears spearheading the attack from the start.
Sears played one of his greatest half of the year, coming into the game on Tuesday night as the Crimson Tide’s top scorer. Of Alabama’s 30 first-half points, 15 came from him.
The Crimson Tide had trouble grabbing boards in the first half, especially on the defensive end, in addition to early giveaways. Six offensive rebounds were pulled down by the Gamecocks, which resulted in five second-chance points.
The final ten minutes of the half saw back-and-forth play in the lead following the two significant runs from each team. Alabama led 30 to 29 going into the locker room. In this half of the season, Alabama scored the fewest points.
“We had a terrible first half,” Oats remarked after the game. “It’s probably the worst half we’ve played this entire year.”
With Sears’ outstanding offensive play leading the way, the Crimson Tide jumped out to a 13-0 lead to start the second half of play. Of the 13 points, he scored or assisted on 10, including a brilliant pass that set up guard Rylan Griffen for a flying slam.
This 13-0 run became a 24-5 run because the Gamecocks were unable to respond to Alabama’s offensive assault.
The second half saw Alabama’s defense smother South Carolina, making it difficult for nearly anything to fall. The Gamecocks scored a total of 18 points in the second half while shooting just 6-27 from the floor. It was the lowest-scoring contest of the season for South Carolina.
After the game, Sears stated, “I think our defense picked up a notch in the second half.”
The Crimson Tide improved not only on defense but also on the glass, outrebounding South Carolina 24–12 in the second half. Alabama had a 36–31 rebounding advantage at the end of the game.
Along with his 17 points, guard Aaron Estrada led Alabama in rebounds with seven.
With 31 points, six rebounds, three assists, and three steals, Sears led all scorers.
The two sides traded expletives during a brawl in the second half, leading to a double-technical call. Head coach Lamont Paris of South Carolina asserted that the altercation was started by the Alabama bench, but Oats added the Gamecocks had strong words for the Crimson Tide.
In reference to the altercation, Oats stated, “They [South Carolina] made the statement the SEC isn’t ready for them.” “This SEC team was ready for them, but we’ll see if the SEC is ready for them.”
Alabama’s next task is to prepare for a road trip to Starkville on Saturday to play the Mississippi State Bulldogs. At 7:30 p.m. CT, the game will be televised on the SEC Network.
