No. 5 Alabama emphatically hands No. 12 Oklahoma its first loss

Field Level Media|published: Sat 4th January, 20:57 2025

Jan 4, 2025; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama guard Mark Sears (1) takes a three point shot with Oklahoma forward Jalon Moore (14) defending at Coleman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News

Mark Sears scored a game-high 22 points and dished out 10 assists as No. 5 Alabama cruised to a 107-79 home win that knocked No. 12 Oklahoma from the ranks of the unbeaten in the SEC opener for both teams on Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Labaron Philon scored 16 points, Grant Nelson added 12 points and 11 rebounds and Clifford Omoruyi and Aden Holloway each chipped in 10 points for the Crimson Tide (12-2, 1-0 SEC)

Jalon Moore led Oklahoma with 20 points, Jeremiah Fears added 16 points and Sam Goodwin racked up 15 points. Kobe Elvis had 13 points and Duke Miles added 10 points for the Sooners (13-1, 0-1 SEC).

The Crimson Tide took a 12-6 lead when Sears canned a corner 3-pointer just over five minutes into the game. Alabama held a 22-8 offensive rebounding edge and outscored Oklahoma 25-4 on second-chance points. Alabama only trailed for 16 seconds

In its first ever SEC game, Oklahoma shot 35% from the field in the first half and connected on just 1-of-8 3-pointers. The Alabama defense blocked five shots and had four steals in the first half.

With dribble penetration, Nelson got to the rim and tossed a hook-shot like alley oop to Omoruyi who slammed it home for a 19-11 Alabama lead.

A shot fake from Derrion Reid set up his one-hand slam as the Crimson Tide took a 37-19 lead. The five-star freshman missed the previous Alabama game with an ankle injury but elevated for the dunk with ease as the five minute mark in the first half approached.

Oklahoma got a dunk from Godwin with 54 seconds left in the first half as the Sooners trailed 48-29 at halftime. An Oklahoma steal on its first defensive possession of the second half led to a fast-break layup from Moore.

But, Nelson answered with a stepback 3-pointer as Alabama went up 51-31.

After being held to one point in the first half, Fears made a shot on three straight Sooners possessions, but the closest Oklahoma got over the final 11 minutes was 72-53 after the freshman's jumper with 10:04 left in the game.

-Field Level Media

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