No. 5 Alabama passed a big road test on Saturday, traveling to College Station and defeating No. 10 Texas A&M 94-88 to move to 3-0 in SEC play.
The win came largely due to the production outside the starting five, as guards Aden Holloway and Chris Youngblood and forward Derrion Reid all had double-digit points off the bench. Forward Mouhamed Dioubate made an impact off the bench as well.
Holloway continued his red-hot play of late, as his 15 points on 6/10 shooting marked his fifth game in a row with double-digit points off the bench. He is averaging 15.4 points per game over that stretch.
A key part of Holloway’s recent play has been his ability to connect from downtown. In that five-game stretch, he has shot an impressive 44.8% from 3-point range. He credited head coach Nate Oats with helping instill confidence in his shooting.
“It’s kind of crazy, because he gets mad when I don’t shoot,” Holloway said of Oats. “He makes sure to give me confidence in shooting the ball.”
In contrast, Youngblood had been on a cold stretch as of late and finally broke out of his shooting slump with a season-high 14 points on 4/7 shooting. He had only shot 31.7% from the field in his first six games since returning from an ankle injury.
“It [making shots] is the best feeling,” Youngblood said. “It helps you get lost in the game.”
Youngblood’s “blue-collar” play and defense were praised as well, and although the rest of the team struggled against Aggies guard Zhuric Phelps, he helped hold Phelps to only nine made shots in 29 attempts.
“I thought he did the best job on Phelps tonight,” Oats said. “He’s made a bunch of tough plays. He’s a winner, competitor and a leader.”
Although Dioubate didn’t have any points in his 16 minutes off the bench, he continued to impact defense with a team-high two steals and three blocks. Throughout the season, Oats has praised Dioubate’s ability to come in the game and be a tone-setter.
“He’s a guy that if we’re ever not playing tough enough, he’s going to bring toughness. That’s what he does,” Oats said.
The bench production is a large part of why the Crimson Tide has the No. 1 scoring offense in the nation with 91.1 points per game and why the team is 14-2. Alabama will hope that success continues as the team goes further into conference play.
