Alabama guard Mark Sears He came into Saturday night’s game against LSU leading the team and the Southeastern Conference in scoring but was scoreless and spent the entire second half of Crimson Tide win 80-73 On the bench.
“We played the guys we thought gave us the best chance to win in the second half,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said.
Sears, an all-American who averaged 19 points per game, went 0-for-5 from the field with three rebounds, three assists and two turnovers.
Oats cited defensive consistency, especially in the second half, as the reason for the lineup changes.
“I didn’t think our defense in the second half was that good lately, so we signaled to the guys, ‘We’re done starting the same group that starts the game,'” Oats said. “Our defense was much better in the second half than it was in the first half, and we haven’t done that much this year.”
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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