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Alabama

Mark Sears breaks down game-winning shot vs. Auburn in overtime

Barkley-Truaxby: Barkley Truax03/09/25BarkleyTruax
MarkSearsAU (1)
Mar 8, 2025; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide guard Mark Sears (1) celebrates with teammates after making the game winning shot to beat the Auburn Tigers in overtime at Neville Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images

Mark Sears and Alabama stunned Auburn fans inside Neville Arena on Saturday when the Crimson Tide star sunk a running floater at the buzzer to defeat the Tigers 93-91 in overtime. After the game, Sears broke down the play and how he decided it was the right shot.

“I think it was a good play call. It caused a lot of confusion,” Sears explained. “Earlier in the game they were switching everything, guarding the guards. I did a quick handoff to Labaron [Philon] and they didn’t switch. I got downhill with my left hand and I was able to get it off with enough time.”

The buzzer-beating shot was the culmination of a relatively quiet day for Mark Sears. He entered overtime with just five points on the day, but he picked up his two biggest at the buzzer to send Alabama into the SEC tournament with plenty of momentum.

Despite Sears falling well short of his season average 19.2 points per game, Alabama head coach Nate Oats was high on his point guard’s body of work during the day. He even believes Sears got him out of a tricky situation with the call on the floor.

“They were gonna make sure he didn’t get anything easy,” Alabama head coach Nate Oats said postgame. “They did a good job on him defensively, but he stuck in there. Attitude was great, played hard for us on defense. He got seven assists to only one turnover.

“And then when we needed him late, he came through and delivered, bailed me out because that play design wasn’t all that great, to be honest with you. The thing that was great about it was it was in a pretty good player’s hands. So he delivered for us there late.”

The game-winning shot fended off the 34-point effort from Auburn star Johni Broome, who led all scorers on the night. On the Alabama side, Grant Nelson had a team-high 23 points to pace the offense.

Alabama’s win over the Tigers not only evens the series, but rounds the Crimson Tide’s regular season out on a high note. After losing four of its last six games, including two in a row to both Tennessee on the road and Florida at home, they were able to bounce back in a big way against the top team in the country. Their efforts this season have earned them a double-bye into the quarterfinals of next week’s SEC Tournament.