Alabama top scorer Sears held scoreless, sits entire 2nd half; Oats points to defense

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Alabama guard Mark Sears came into Saturday night’s game against LSU leading the team and the Southeastern Conference in scoring but was held scoreless and spent the entire second half of the Crimson Tide’s 80-73 win on the bench.

“We played the guys that we thought gave us the best chance to win in the second half,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said.

Sears, a preseason All-American averaging 19 points per game, went 0 for 5 from the field with three rebounds, three assists and two turnovers.

Oats pointed to defensive consistency, especially into the second half, as a reason for lineup changes.

“I didn’t think our second-half defense has been very good lately, so we made the point to the guys, we’re done starting the same group that starts the game,” Oats said. “Our defense was significantly better in the second half than in the first half, and we haven’t done that much this year.”

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