NEWARK, N.J. — Alabama found its shooting stroke in a big way Thursday night. The Crimson Tide exploded from beyond the arc in its 113-88 over BYU, cruising to a victory in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

The Tide never slowed down after a hot start from deep. Star guard Mark Sears dominated the contest and rediscovered his 3-point shot at the perfect time for Alabama. Reserve guard Aden Holloway did his best to match Sears and lifted Alabama's second unit, while BYU struggled to match Alabama’s elite shooting as the Tide rode the 3-point wave to make its second straight Elite Eight appearance.

Here are three takeaways from Alabama’s win over BYU.

Alabama hasn't lived and died by the 3 this season. But it lived beyond the arc to advance to the Elite Eight. The Crimson Tide buried 25 3-pointers, which not only propelled it past a quality BYU team but also set the record for the most makes from 3 in an NCAA Tournament game.

Alabama’s ball movement was excellent to spread the Cougars out and get open looks. The Tide racked up 27 assists, constantly driving and kicking and looking for the extra pass to an open player on the wing or in the corner, passing up open looks for even better ones.

When players got those looks, they shot with zero hesitation. Everyone from Sears to Aiden Sherrell was a willing 3-point shooter Thursday. That was great news for Alabama’s leading scorer in particular. Sears scored 34 points and shot 10 of 16 from 3, getting more and more animated while jogging back on defense with every make.

Sears continued to cook all game. He moved off-ball well and seemed to have an extra degree of separation every time he jacked one up. Holloway had a really nice find to Sears in the second half for his seventh 3 of the game after he stole the ball and Sears immediately raced behind him in transition. The make put Alabama up by 16 and prompted a BYU timeout.

Alabama came out scorching hot in the first half, connecting on 12 of its first 27 attempts from deep. The two teams' roles reversed in the opening 20 minutes, with BYU getting nearly all of its production in the lane while Alabama kept relying on looks from deep. Alabama's historic performance eventually became the separator that allowed the Tide to cruise into the Elite Eight.

Along with Sears, Chris Youngblood got in on the 3-point-making action. The fifth-year veteran chipped in five makes from deep of his own, finishing with 19 points in a nice outing as he looks to build some momentum for the Elite Eight.

Speaking of Holloway, the sophomore guard became the X-factor that Alabama has depended on him to be several times this season. The Auburn transfer scored 25 of the Tide’s bench points, lifting the second unit, which outscored BYU’s bench 36-17.

Holloway thrived in a game that saw plenty of 3s for Alabama. His green light might be the brightest, given Alabama coach Nate Oats' frequent encouragement for him to take as many 3s as possible. Holloway has some of the smoothest shot mechanics on the team and was able to put those on full display with his quick-trigger release, allowing him to fire shots over defenders attempting to close out.

Holloway also stepped up on the defensive end, chipping in with a pair of steals, including one that led to the transition 3 for Sears. The sophomore was active on that end of the floor as part of a concerted effort to run BYU off the 3-point line. He finished with a plus-22 box plus-minus rating for the game, which was the best on the team, and chipped in two assists with just one turnover in one of his best performances of the season.

The Cougars are normally due to get going at some point. But that just wasn’t the case as Alabama’s defense continued to make running BYU off the 3-point line a point of emphasis. The Cougars were stifled from deep, making just 20% of its shots from beyond the arc after it hit 35% of its 3s in the first round against VCU and 46.2% in the second round against Wisconsin. The Cougars made just one more 3 than their season low of five Thursday.

BYU is still one of the most capable offensive teams in the country and drove the ball relentlessly in the paint, scoring 50 total paint points, including 28 of its 40 points in the first half. The Cougars also drew plenty of fouls in the second half to get some points back at the line. The refs were far more trigger-happy on the whistle in the final 20 minutes, and Alabama had to fight through being in the bonus for a majority of the final period.

But Alabama’s strong perimeter defense, coupled with its 3-point scoring on the offensive end put the game out of reach for the Cougars. The Tide fought over screens well and contested shots from deep. BYU rarely connected on a 3 unless it was wide open. Though BYU got plenty of points inside, it didn’t gain a significant advantage on the boards, which prevented it from getting enough second chances to match Alabama's hot shooting with inside scoring.

The Cougars entered the game with a perfect 17-0 record when getting at least 17 assists. Fittingly, in a game that was destined to be a shootout, the Cougars hit that number, but it still wasn’t enough. Alabama still managed to force 11 turnovers, which turned into 16 points for the Tide.

Both teams' shotmaking set the tone in the opening 20 minutes. Though he finished with 25 points, BYU star guard Richie Saunders attempted just two 3s all game, having to constantly rely on getting ot the rim. The Cougars weren’t able to fire too many open looks off, as Alabama fought over screens and closed out well to ensure no look from deep was too easy for one of the nation’s best 3-point shooting teams.

Alabama will face the winner between No. 1 seed Duke and No. 4 seed Arizona in the Elite Eight. The matchup is set for Sunday inside the Prudential Center with a spot in the Final Four on the line.