Mark Sears led Alabama to a resounding 107-79 victory over No. 13 Oklahoma in their SEC opener, recording a career-high 10 assists to go with his 22 points. Sears' masterful ball handling and passing proved crucial in securing the win, as he showcased his leadership and playmaking abilities.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The No. 5 Alabama basketball team dominated in its SEC home opener, defeating the No. 13 Oklahoma Sooners 107-79. The Crimson Tide's 28-point victory was fueled by a double-double effort from Alabama's best player as Mark Sears not only led the team in scoring with 22 but found a career-high 10 assists to drive the team to victory. 'It was just the way the defense was playing,' Sears said. 'I noticed they were heavy in the gaps.
We've got great shooters and I want to do a great job of finding my teammates, they did a great job of making the right plays.' Sears tallied six of his 10 assists in the first half, while scoring just a mild seven points to send the Crimson Tide into the locker room with a 19-point lead. His 15 second half points and 4 turnovers ensured the Alabama faithful left Coleman Coliseum happy as the Sooners never challenged in the second frame. Beyond the obvious scoring contribution from Sears perhaps the more important aspect for the senior guard was how well he protected the basketball. Sears logged 32 minutes as Alabama's primary ball-handler and didn't commit a single turnover. 'I thought it's been good,' Nate Oats said. 'We've made a huge point of emphasis on turnovers in practice. I think he's wanting to get better, wanting to be coached, wanting this team to be great, so 10 assists, zero turnovers, that's how it's supposed to look for a point guard. Even the best point guards don't have those types of nights all that often. This will definitely help his assist to turnover ratio out on the season. I thought he was making the right reads, when they collapsed he was spraying it, making early reads. Nobody's going to be 100-percent on their reads but he was a lot closer to 100 today than he's been some games earlier in the season.'Sears was only one-of-six from beyond the arc as he struggled from deep, but his ball handling and distribution serves a role the Crimson Tide need
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