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Alabama

Mark Sears hits buzzer-beater vs. Auburn, fan throws object onto court amid Alabama taunting crowd in celebration

ns_headshot_2024-clearby:Nick Schultz•about 20 hours•

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Alabama guard Mark Sears
Alabama guard Mark Sears (Will McLelland / Imagn Images)

It took five extra minutes – literally – but Alabama won the Iron Bowl of Basketball rematch. Mark Sears was the hero, driving into the paint and draining the buzzer-beater to stun No. 1 seed Auburn at Neville Arena.

The Crimson Tide then began to celebrate as they took down their rival and avenged a February loss at Coleman Coliseum. The players had a message for the Neville Arena faithful, and fans responded by throwing towels onto the court.

It was part of a crazy ending to perhaps the best college basketball game of the season. At the end, though, it was Alabama which came away with the 93-91 victory.

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.

The Crimson Tide had a lead over Auburn at halftime, but the Tigers rallied back in the second half and appeared to take control. Alabama didn’t back down, though, and the two teams traded blows in the final minute.

Both shots fell to end regulation, meaning the game headed to overtime. Five more minutes would decide the outcome.

Overtime was played in the margin of four points. Neither team was able to pull away in the final period, and that set the stage for one final possession. Labaron Philon brought the ball up, and he kicked it to Sears just outside the three-point line. He then went around the bend with his left hand and put up the floater.

The shot found nylon. Alabama got the victory, splitting the season series against Auburn and, more importantly, taking down its fiercest rival to end the regular season.

Johni Broome led all scorers for Auburn with 34 points, including the game-tying three-pointer with 15 seconds left in overtime. He also had eight rebounds and five blocks to lead the Tigers. On the Alabama side, Grant Nelson had a team-high 23 points to pace the offense.

Saturday’s game wasn’t without a bit of controversy, though. Early in the game, Nelson hit the “Crimson Crane” celebration in front of Broome. In addition, Auburn forward Chad Baker-Mazara was ejected in the second half after appearing to elbow Chris Youngblood – leading to a strong response from ESPN commentator Dick Vitale.