Everything Nate Oats, Mark Sears said after Alabama's win at Vanderbilt

The Alabama men’s basketball team defeated Vanderbilt, 78-75, on Saturday afternoon inside Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville. After the SEC opener, head coach Nate Oats and guard Mark Sears spoke to reporters. Below is everything they said after advancing to 9-5.

Oats’ opening statement…

“Road wins are not easy in the SEC, so we’ll take them. Obviously, it was not one of our better performances, but we’ll take a road win to start out conference play. We did a really good job building an 18-point lead there. I thought we did a great job when we went on that run, and (Jerry Stackhouse) called the timeout and they came out, went on a 9-2 run. 

“We’ve got to do a better job when the other team is calling timeouts and go on a run. We talk about starts to games, closes to halves, start to the second half, close the game. I didn’t think we did a great job closing either half. We didn’t score in almost the last five minutes of the first half, and then the second half, we’ve got a lead and almost gave it up.

“So we’ve got to do a better job figuring out a closing group – close to the half, close to the game. And then we’ve got to guard better. But it was good, Mark’s sixth 20-point game. I thought he had some good defensive possessions. We’ve been on him to be a better defender. So as a team, we’ve got to be better on Tuesday, but a road win is a road win in the SEC and we’ll take one today.”

Oats on what Sears showed down the stretch…

“I thought he was aggressive. I thought he wasn’t scared to make plays. He drove the ball with some physicality. He got fouled. He drove in the one time, got fouled, stepped up to the free-throw line, made free throws. We’ve got to make free throws, too. We’ve got guys that are good free throw shooters missing free throws late in the game. On offense, he did that. On defense, I thought he showed some tenacity. He got in the ball a little bit, made it tougher. But we’ve got to rebound it, though, too. That three that they hit at the top of the key was off an O board. We’ve got to do a better job rebounding the ball there late in the game, too.”

Oats on Latrell Wrightsell’s play in the first half…

“I thought he was. He came in, made shots. It’s two games in a row where he’s really shot it well for us, double-digit scoring both games. Mark, Rylan (Griffen), Trelly were the only three guys in double digits. So two of those guys had 48, so 48 out of our 78. Those three played well. We’ve got to get some other guys to step us for us, though.”

Oats on the competitiveness down the stretch…

“I thought we were better 12-8, 8-4, and then the last four, it was not at all what we’re looking for, to be honest with you. But I thought we were better to 12-8 than we’ve been. I think they came out and made two free throws to where – I think they were actually up one maybe – but on that four-minute stretch. And we had a decent run at the 8-4 in there, but then it started to slip like as we went in the last four minutes.”

Sears on the mindset Oats has been stressing about finishing…

“The five games we lost, the defense for the first 28 minutes was great, but that last 12, that’s where we really lose the game. So we’re really bought into finishing a full 40 minutes of defense.”

Sears on his mindset during his second-half stretch…

“Take what the defense gives me. I came off the ball screen, they weren’t up to me, so I just shot the ball.”

Sears on taking shots tough shots late against Vanderbilt’s defense…

“I just wanted to be aggressive for my team. I felt like I can get to the rim at any time I wanted to. I felt like we really needed to score in that drought.”

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