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Mark Sears’ runner at the buzzer in overtime lifted No. 7 Alabama to a thrilling 93-91 victory over Auburn, handing the top-ranked team in the country its 2nd-straight loss and silencing the stunned home crowd on the Plains on the final day of the regular season.
After Johni Broome’s 3-pointer tied the game at 91 with a little less than 15 seconds left in OT, it was the Crimson Tide’s star player’s turn to answer. And the senior guard who’s been through the wars of the SEC and this rivalry did just that. He wanted the ball at the end and got it, and he found just enough room in the teeth of the Tigers’ defense to get his runner off before the buzzer.
With that shot, Alabama got some needed payback, after Auburn went to Tuscaloosa 3 weeks ago and beat the Crimson Tide in what was then a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup.
Sears only finished with 9 points, but 2 of those points were the most important of the day and maybe the regular season for Nate Oats’s team. Sears did add 7 assists, helping the Crimson Tide end the regular season at 24-7 with a 13-5 record in the SEC.
Meanwhile, Auburn, which has had such a magical regular season, will limp into the SEC Tournament after losing its last 2 games. The Tigers still went 27-4 overall and 15-3 in the rugged SEC, winning the regular-season title before a tough final week.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
