Mark Sears, Alabama basketball stifle South Alabama for third consecutive victory
The first week of the season had been good for Alabama basketball on offense, but the defense left much to be desired. At least in the mind of coach Nate Oats.
He made that clear Monday, challenging several players by name in his news conference.
Then Tuesday, against South Alabama, Oats got the best defensive outing yet this season. There was a point in the second half that the Jaguars went more than 10 minutes without a field goal.
The Crimson Tide defeated the Jaguars 102-46 at Coleman Coliseum, the lowest-scoring output for an Alabama opponent yet in 2023-24 by a mile. South Alabama shot 23% overall and 17% from deep.
The Crimson Tide had given up 73 and 80 points in the first two games of the season, both wins.
Alabama also has registered three straight games with 100 points to start the season. It's the first time since 1956-57.
Here are observations and takeaways from the game between No. 22 Alabama (3-0) and South Alabama (1-2).
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Mark Sears the motor
Call him the motor, the catalyst or the man. All applied to what Sears did to South Alabama when the Crimson Tide needed a spark.
The Jaguars were hanging around, pestering Alabama enough to stay right with the Crimson Tide –which didn't exactly come out flying. The score was tied at 15 by the second timeout, almost 10 minutes in.
Then Sears went to work. First, his defense got in the way of the Jaguars. That included forcing a bad shot as the shot clock expired, then grabbing a defensive rebound the next possession.
Sears then knocked down a triple on the ensuing possession and started heating up. He went 5-for-5 and 3-for-3 from deep before he missed his first shot with 4:43 left in the first half.
By the end of the first half, Sears had tallied 13 points, three rebounds and four assists. His efforts helped Alabama grab a 47-23 lead at halftime.
Sears finished shooting 5 of 7 with 17 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Aaron Estrada steals key for defense
The Hofstra transfer's ability to take the basketball away from South Alabama played a role in slowing the Jaguars' offense.
Estrada had a team-high four steals. He also grabbed five defensive rebounds.
He didn't have his biggest offensive output, but Estrada was solid on the defensive end.
Grant Nelson's three blocks also helped a strong defensive effort.
What's next
Alabama will wrap up its four-game home slate to open the season with a game against Mercer on Friday (7 p.m., SEC Network+) at Coleman Coliseum. Then, the week of Thanksgiving, the Crimson Tide will travel to Niceville, Florida, to take part in the Emerald Coast Classic. The first game will be held on Friday, Nov. 24 (6 p.m. CT, CBS Sports Network) against Ohio State.
Nick Kelly covers Alabama football and men's basketball for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama basketball: Mark Sears, Crimson Tide stifle South Alabama
