No. 3 Alabama went into a hostile arena on Saturday and held off a late surge by Arkansas to secure an 85-81 victory to improve to 9-1 in the SEC and a share of first place in the SEC standings with No. 1 Auburn.
Alabama extended its lead to 18 to open the second half, and it looked like the game was going to be a blowout. However, Arkansas surged back, cutting the lead to three multiple times before the Crimson Tide closed it out at the free throw line.
Here are a few takeaways from the game.
Turnovers Still a Problem
At this point, it seems that turnovers are going to be an issue every game, but somehow, the Tide still find a way to win. Once again, Alabama lost the turnover margin, turning the ball over 14 times. Arkansas capitalized on the turnovers and turned them into 13 points. Mark Sears led the way, responsible for six turnovers, and Mo Dioubate committed four.
Youngblood Stays Hot
The season started off slow for Chris Youngblood, but he finally hit his stride at the perfect time of the year. Youngblood put together another solid night shooting, finishing tied with Grant Nelson with a team-high 15 points. On a night when the three pointer wasn’t falling for the Crimson Tide, Youngblood drained two of Alabama’s five made three pointers. In the final seconds, Youngblood sank a couple of free throws to secure the win.
Streaky Second Half
Alabama entered the second half with a four-point lead but quickly expanded its lead out of the break. In the first eight minutes of the second half, Alabama went on a 22-8 run to push its lead to 18. Arkansas answered with a 12-0 run of their own inside with five minutes left to play, cutting the lead to three points multiple times. The Razorbacks had a chance to tie with 11 seconds remaining but Alabama fouled to prevent the three-point attempt and escaped with a victory.
Road Warriors
Another SEC road game in a hostile environment and another win for the Crimson Tide. Alabama remains a perfect 5-0 in SEC road games this season and pushes its overall road record to 7-1. The Crimson Tide have a quick turnaround with another road game on Tuesday at Texas.
Alabama will travel to Texas and tip off at 8 p.m. on Tuesday. The game will be televised on either ESPN or ESPN2.
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