TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — It was far from the performance Alabama coach Nate Oats wanted. But unlike in its loss to Ole Miss, the Crimson Tide managed to will its way to a hard-fought 80-73 victory over LSU on Saturday.

The Tide was out-scrapped and for a second straight game, struggled to keep its opponent off the offensive glass. However, the Tide showed fight in the second half, even with its star player sidelined for the entire final period. Mark Sears' guard counterparts stepped up in his absence, while key frontcourt contributors and a turned-up Alabama defense made sure Alabama would avoid another spirit-shaking defeat in its home gym.

Here are three takeaways from Alabama’s matchup against LSU.

For the first time since SEC play started, Alabama opted for a change in its starting lineup. Fifth-year guard Chris Youngblood got his first start in an Alabama uniform, taking the place of Labaron Philon after the freshman guard tweaked his ankle, causing him to miss practice Friday. Youngblood, a Tuscaloosa native, made the most of his first start in an Alabama uniform finishing with 13 points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocks.

Oats continued to tinker with the lineups to start the second half. Sears and Clifford Omoruyi sat while Aden Holloway and Mouhamed Diobuate joined Youngblood, Grant Nelson and Jarin Stevenson. Sears never returned to the game, finishing 0 of 5 from the field with two turnovers in the first half.

It's undoubtedly a bold strategy to not play your best player in the second half of a tightly contested game. But Oats trusted his depth at guard and was rewarded for that trust. Holloway, who has been one of Alabama’s strongest players recently, scored 12 points in the final period and finished with 19 points, four rebounds and two steals. While he's normally a sniper from 3, Holloway's main scoring avenue Saturday came on drives to the lane and a floater that is becoming a key part of his game.

Youngblood was productive on both ends, using his size to defend LSU’s bigger guards. Holloway also chipped in with two steals, playing some nice defense after receiving praise from Oats for his output on that end recently.

Oats’ leaving Philon on the bench to start had a two-fold effect. Alabama’s coach was hoping the move would energize the freshman after a lackluster performance against Vanderbilt. It did just that as Philon had a solid showing with 11 points, three rebounds, three assists and a steal.

After tying the scoreline at seven apiece, Alabama looked like it would have the foothold in the game that it needed. Oats sent three substudies back to the bench after they checked in and trusted the starters to continue to get things going.

But the Tigers kept themselves in the game by living in the paint and on the glass. Coming into the game, LSU’s season-high of offensive rebounds was 15. The Tigers had 13 in the first 20 minutes against Alabama and finished with 17. The Tide had no answer for Tigers forward Corey Chest inside. The freshman had a double-double with over four minutes left in the opening period and finished with 12 points and 18 rebounds.

It’s the second game in a row Alabama has struggled to contain its opponent on the O-boards. Alabama gave up 20 offensive rebounds, which turned into 17 second-chance points against Vanderbilt on Tuesday. The Tide's offensive lifeblood came on the glass at the start of the season but has fallen by the wayside for large portions of the last two games. LSU turned its second chances into 14 points Saturday night and won the rebounding battle 43-41 overall despite Alabama's best efforts in the second half.

What made Saturday night’s result different from Ole Miss’ was Alabama’s ability to prevent its first-half struggles on the defensive glass and poor ball control preventing it from making winning plays when necessary.

Even with Sears out of the game, his supporting cast turned up the effort on both ends to stay in front. Alabama was more disciplined on the glass and forced eight LSU turnovers in the final 20 minutes and six first half. Players dove for loose balls and Alabama held LSU to a 1 of 8 stretch with under 10 minutes remaining. In a complete reversal of the Vanderbilt game, Alabama held LSU to 0.84 points per possession in the second half after allowing the Tigers to average 1.17 in the first 20 minutes. LSU shot just 39.4% from the field and went 1 of 11 from 3.

Dioubate continues to be a human-wrecking ball in the best way for Alabama. The forward finished with 14 points, five rebounds and a steal. His offensive contributions continue to increase without a drop off in his effort on both ends of the floor and he contributed a pair of buckets as part of an Alabama 8-0 run late in the second half.

The duo of Nelson and Omoruyi also made their presence felt in the final period. Omoruyi was everywhere, racking up four points and seven rebounds, including three on the offensive end in the second half. Nelson finished the game with 12 points and three rebounds. Stevenson also had a solid outing defensively with three steals and lead Alabama with a plus-16 box plus-minus rating.

Alabama (17-3, 6-1 SEC) hits the road, taking a short trip to Starkville, Mississippi to face No. 14 Mississippi State. The Bulldogs (16-4, 4-3) defeated South Carolina 65-60 in overtime Saturday.