Alabama men’s basketball couldn’t afford a repeat home performance. Not if it wanted to beat Vanderbilt.

A week ago against Ole Miss, the Crimson Tide put together one of its ugliest offensive performances in recent memory. Then on Tuesday against the Commodores, Alabama proved that would not become a trend at Coleman Coliseum.

The Crimson Tide returned to its high-scoring ways and beat Vanderbilt 103-87.

Aden Holloway and Mouhamed Dioubate each scored a game-high 22 points off the bench while Mark Sears tallied 21.

Here are takeaways from the game between No. 4 Alabama (16-3, 5-1 SEC) and Vanderbilt (15-4, 3-3).

Aden Holloway shines off the bench

It’s not every night that Holloway blocks shots. In fact, he didn’t have one the entire season heading into the matchup against Vanderbilt.

Then against the Commodores, the former Auburn guard blocked a shot in the first half. That was a microcosm of how it went for Holloway.

He was making plays in a variety of ways all over the court in one of his best games, if not his best game, with the Crimson Tide.

Coming off the bench, Holloway couldn’t miss before the break. He made all six shots he attempted, two from beyond the arc. The sophomore also grabbed a rebound, tallied an assist and didn’t turn the ball over in 12 minutes of first-half play. Holloway put together an efficient, productive effort off the bench that played a key role in Alabama grabbing a 48-31 lead over the Commodores in the first half.

Holloway didn’t miss his first shot until the second half. But right after he missed, he drained another triple to give Alabama a 59-42 lead with about 14 minutes left.

Holloway finished the day with 22 points, four rebounds, one assist, no turnovers and one block. He made four 3-pointers.

Mouhamed Dioubate an offensive leader

Another game, another outing where the sophomore forward makes the most of his playing time. But this time, Dioubate was one of Alabama’s best scorers.

Dioubate finished with a career high in points to go with his usual tough, gritty style of basketball.

The posterchild of blue-collar basketball, Dioubate grabbed a rebound every other minute before halftime with six in 12 minutes. Dioubate didn’t miss a shot in the first half either.

Then Dioubate continued to play efficient in the second half. In his first seven minutes of play after halftime, Dioubate scored seven points.

Dioubate finished the day with 22 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks, and one steal. It marked his second double-double this season

He didn’t miss a shot until just over three minutes remained in the game in what was one of his best offensive efforts in college.

Alabama defense struggles in second half

A strong defensive effort in the first turned into an abysmal one in the second half.

Because of some defensive struggles, Alabama couldn’t run away with the game when it looked primed to do so. Vanderbilt drained 3-pointers at a high rate in the second half, and those kept the Commodores in the game. Vanderbilt made 11 triples, 10 of which came in the second half.

After allowing .861 points per possession in the first half, Alabama gave up 1.33 points per possession in the second half.

Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.