Alabama gets big game from Mark Sears, beats Grand Canyon 72-61 in March Madness
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) Mark Sears carried Alabama long enough for the Crimson Tide to get an unexpected contribution and reach the Sweet 16.
Who is Mouhamed Dioubate?
“He won us the game the last five minutes,” Sears said.
Sears had 26 points and 12 rebounds, Dioubate scored all nine of his points in the final 5 1/2 minutes, and fourth-seeded Alabama used a late surge to beat No. 12 seed Grand Canyon 72-61 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday night.
Sears carried the Crimson Tide (23-11) for the better part of 35 minutes before getting some unexpected help from Dioubate. The 6-foot-7 freshman scored more than nine points only twice all season but made the most of his chance to contribute in the final minutes of a physical game with Alabama in foul trouble and without starter Latrell Wrightsell Jr., who suffered a head injury in the first half.
“I was just playing hard and I got lost in the game, honestly. I wasn’t thinking about scoring. I just let the game come to me,” Dioubate said. “Coach put me in with a few minutes left in the game because Jarin (Stevenson) fouled out and I just tried to play as hard as I can and let my defense contribute to offense, and that’s what I did.”
Alabama advanced to the Sweet 16 for the 10th time overall and third time in the last four seasons under coach Nate Oats. The Crimson Tide will play in a regional semifinal in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1990-91; last year, Alabama was a No. 1 seed and fell to eventual national runner-up San Diego State.
This time, it'll be the Tide trying to take down top-seeded North Carolina on Thursday in a West Region semifinal in Los Angeles.
“We had multiple guys in there putting their nose in and making tough plays,” Oats said. “Sears wasn’t going to lose. He wasn’t letting us lose tonight.”
Sears made 8 of 18 shots and cheekily waved goodbye in the final seconds to the Grand Canyon “Havocs” fans who filled Spokane Arena. Dioubate also grabbed five rebounds - all on the offensive end - in his 12 minutes and played solid defense on Grand Canyon star Tyon Grant-Foster.
Grant-Foster scored 29 points, one off his career high, but didn’t score in the final 4 minutes. The Lopes shot 32%, including a brutal 3 of 17 to begin the game. Grand Canyon (31-4) also couldn’t find anything from beyond the 3-point arc, going 2 of 20. Coach Bryce Drew's squad came in averaging seven 3s per game.
“The offensive rebounds were the most, probably the biggest difference in the game, even despite our shooting,” Drew said. “If we rebound, I think the last five minutes goes different.”
Alabama led 42-32 early in the second half, only to see the Lopes chip away. Grand Canyon took a 56-55 lead on Collin Moore’s free throw with 6:25 left - its first lead since it was 9-7 - and Grant-Foster scored off Alabama’s 10th turnover of the half for a 58-55 lead with 6:03 left.
The Tide responded with seven straight points. Dioubate scored on a three-point play off an offensive rebound and added a slashing basket through traffic. He made two more free throws with 3:48 left to give Alabama a 64-61 lead, and his basket with 2:25 left pushed the lead to five.
Dioubate's three-point play and his last basket both came off offensive rebounds by the Tide.
“We knew we had a chance to win that game,” Grant-Foster said. “I will just say we were one rebound away from winning that game. We get one rebound, like, the game’s turned. We win that game.”
Alabama played the final 26-plus minutes without Wrightsell, who took an inadvertent elbow to the head. Oats said he believes Wrightsell will be available against North Carolina.
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Alabama and North Carolina have not met in March Madness since 1992, when the fourth-seeded Tar Heels beat the fifth-seeded Tide 64-55 in the second round. The teams last met early in the 2022-23 season, when the Tide won a wild game 103-101 in four overtimes.
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Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
20:00 | Duke Brennan vs. Grant Nelson (Gabe McGlothan gains possession) | |||
19:43 | Grant Nelson blocks Gabe McGlothan's two point jump shot | |||
19:41 | Collin Moore offensive rebound | |||
19:38 | Collin Moore misses two point layup | |||
19:38 | Duke Brennan offensive rebound | |||
19:38 | Duke Brennan misses two point layup | |||
19:36 | Crimson Tide defensive rebound | |||
19:26 | +3 | Mark Sears makes three point jump shot (Aaron Estrada assists) | 0-3 | |
19:11 | Collin Moore misses three point jump shot | |||
19:09 | Duke Brennan offensive rebound | |||
19:07 | Ray Harrison misses three point jump shot | |||
19:05 | Aaron Estrada defensive rebound | |||
18:43 | Latrell Wrightsell Jr. misses three point jump shot | |||
18:41 | Collin Moore defensive rebound | |||
18:13 | Tyon Grant-Foster turnover (bad pass) (Rylan Griffen steals) | |||
18:04 | Ray Harrison personal foul (Rylan Griffen draws the foul) | |||
17:54 | Rylan Griffen misses three point jump shot | |||
17:52 | Ray Harrison defensive rebound | |||
17:42 | +2 | Duke Brennan makes two point layup (Ray Harrison assists) | 2-3 | |
17:30 | +3 | Rylan Griffen makes three point jump shot (Mark Sears assists) | 2-6 | |
17:12 | Tyon Grant-Foster misses two point layup | |||
17:10 | Duke Brennan offensive rebound | |||
17:04 | Tyon Grant-Foster misses three point jump shot | |||
17:02 | Aaron Estrada defensive rebound | |||
17:01 | Tyon Grant-Foster blocks Aaron Estrada's two point layup | |||
16:59 | Crimson Tide offensive rebound | |||
16:50 | Aaron Estrada misses two point jump shot | |||
16:48 | Duke Brennan defensive rebound | |||
16:34 | Grant Nelson shooting foul (Duke Brennan draws the foul) | |||
16:34 | Duke Brennan misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
16:34 | +1 | Duke Brennan makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 3-6 | |
16:17 | Grant Nelson misses two point layup | |||
16:15 | Gabe McGlothan defensive rebound | |||
16:00 | Ray Harrison misses three point jump shot | |||
15:58 | Aaron Estrada defensive rebound | |||
15:47 | Aaron Estrada misses two point layup | |||
15:45 | Duke Brennan defensive rebound | |||
15:32 | Ray Harrison misses three point jump shot | |||
15:30 | Mark Sears defensive rebound | |||
15:23 | Grant Nelson misses three point jump shot | |||
15:21 | Tyon Grant-Foster defensive rebound | |||
15:12 | Tyon Grant-Foster misses two point jump shot | |||
15:10 | Mark Sears defensive rebound | |||
15:05 | Grant Nelson misses two point layup | |||
15:03 | Gabe McGlothan defensive rebound | |||
15:00 | Latrell Wrightsell Jr. personal foul (Collin Moore draws the foul) | |||
15:00 | TV timeout | |||
14:50 | Sam Walters blocks Tyon Grant-Foster's two point layup | |||
14:48 | Jarin Stevenson defensive rebound | |||
14:36 | Jovan Blacksher Jr. blocks Mark Sears's two point layup | |||
14:34 | Jovan Blacksher Jr. defensive rebound | |||
14:29 | Jovan Blacksher Jr. turnover (bad pass) (Aaron Estrada steals) | |||
14:26 | Sam Walters misses three point jump shot | |||
14:24 | Ray Harrison defensive rebound | |||
14:24 | Jarin Stevenson personal foul (Ray Harrison draws the foul) | |||
14:08 | Gabe McGlothan misses three point jump shot | |||
14:06 | Nick Pringle defensive rebound | |||
13:53 | Lok Wur shooting foul (Nick Pringle draws the foul) | |||
13:53 | +1 | Nick Pringle makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 3-7 | |
13:53 | Nick Pringle misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
13:53 | Ray Harrison defensive rebound | |||
13:32 | Jarin Stevenson personal foul (Ray Harrison draws the foul) | |||
13:13 | +2 | Tyon Grant-Foster makes two point jump shot | 5-7 | |
12:48 | Mark Sears turnover (lost ball) (Jovan Blacksher Jr. steals) | |||
12:40 | Grant Nelson blocks Jovan Blacksher Jr.'s three point jump shot | |||
12:38 | Antelopes offensive rebound | |||
12:25 | Gabe McGlothan misses three point jump shot | |||
12:23 | Sam Walters defensive rebound | |||
12:07 | Lok Wur blocks Latrell Wrightsell Jr.'s two point layup | |||
12:05 | Crimson Tide offensive rebound | |||
11:58 | Sam Walters misses three point jump shot | |||
11:56 | Nick Pringle offensive rebound | |||
11:55 | Lok Wur blocks Aaron Estrada's two point layup | |||
11:50 | Jovan Blacksher Jr. defensive rebound | |||
11:49 | +3 | Tyon Grant-Foster makes three point jump shot (Jovan Blacksher Jr. assists) | 8-7 | |
11:48 | Nate Oats technical foul | |||
11:48 | Crimson Tide turnover | |||
11:48 | TV timeout | |||
11:48 | +1 | Ray Harrison makes technical free throw 1 of 2 | 9-7 | |
11:48 | Ray Harrison misses technical free throw 2 of 2 | |||
11:34 | Aaron Estrada misses three point jump shot | |||
11:32 | Lok Wur defensive rebound | |||
11:06 | Jovan Blacksher Jr. turnover (lost ball) (Mark Sears steals) | |||
10:55 | Rylan Griffen misses three point jump shot | |||
10:53 | Nick Pringle offensive rebound | |||
10:45 | +3 | Mark Sears makes three point jump shot (Aaron Estrada assists) | 9-10 | |
10:23 | Tyon Grant-Foster misses two point layup | |||
10:21 | Aaron Estrada defensive rebound | |||
10:16 | +3 | Mark Sears makes three point jump shot (Aaron Estrada assists) | 9-13 | |
10:14 | Antelopes 30 second timeout | |||
10:14 | TV timeout | |||
9:45 | Ray Harrison misses three point jump shot | |||
9:43 | Mark Sears defensive rebound | |||
9:37 | +2 | Rylan Griffen makes two point layup (Mark Sears assists) | 9-15 | |
9:20 | +2 | Ray Harrison makes two point layup (Collin Moore assists) | 11-15 | |
9:00 | Mark Sears misses three point jump shot | |||
8:58 | Lok Wur defensive rebound | |||
8:51 | +2 | Collin Moore makes two point layup | 13-15 | |
8:44 | +2 | Latrell Wrightsell Jr. makes two point layup (Rylan Griffen assists) | 13-17 | |
8:18 | Nick Pringle blocks Collin Moore's two point layup | |||
8:16 | Nick Pringle defensive rebound | |||
8:10 | Lok Wur personal foul (Aaron Estrada draws the foul) | |||
8:10 | Grant Nelson offensive foul (Gabe McGlothan draws the foul) | |||
8:10 | Grant Nelson turnover (offensive foul) | |||
8:10 | TV timeout | |||
7:43 | Mark Sears shooting foul (Ray Harrison draws the foul) | |||
7:43 | Ray Harrison misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
7:43 | +1 | Ray Harrison makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 14-17 | |
7:21 | Mouhamed Dioubate misses two point layup | |||
7:20 | Mouhamed Dioubate offensive rebound | |||
7:20 | Gabe McGlothan personal foul (Mouhamed Dioubate draws the foul) | |||
7:09 | Latrell Wrightsell Jr. misses three point jump shot | |||
7:07 | Mouhamed Dioubate offensive rebound | |||
7:07 | Mouhamed Dioubate misses two point layup | |||
7:05 | Mouhamed Dioubate offensive rebound | |||
7:05 | Tyon Grant-Foster blocks Mouhamed Dioubate's two point layup | |||
7:03 | Antelopes defensive rebound | |||
6:45 | Ray Harrison misses two point jump shot | |||
6:43 | Gabe McGlothan offensive rebound | |||
6:36 | Latrell Wrightsell Jr. shooting foul (Gabe McGlothan draws the foul) | |||
6:36 | Crimson Tide 30 second timeout | |||
6:36 | +1 | Gabe McGlothan makes regular free throw 1 of 3 | 15-17 | |
6:36 | Gabe McGlothan misses regular free throw 2 of 3 | |||
6:36 | +1 | Gabe McGlothan makes regular free throw 3 of 3 | 16-17 | |
6:17 | Rylan Griffen misses three point jump shot | |||
6:15 | Mark Sears offensive rebound | |||
6:10 | +2 | Mark Sears makes two point layup | 16-19 | |
5:44 | Gabe McGlothan misses two point jump shot | |||
5:42 | Mark Sears defensive rebound | |||
5:34 | +2 | Aaron Estrada makes two point jump shot | 16-21 | |
5:10 | Mouhamed Dioubate shooting foul (Gabe McGlothan draws the foul) | |||
5:10 | +1 | Gabe McGlothan makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 17-21 | |
5:10 | +1 | Gabe McGlothan makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 18-21 | |
5:00 | Lok Wur shooting foul (Mark Sears draws the foul) | |||
5:00 | +1 | Mark Sears makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 18-22 | |
5:00 | +1 | Mark Sears makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 18-23 | |
4:42 | Mohamed Wague blocks Tyon Grant-Foster's two point jump shot | |||
4:40 | Antelopes offensive rebound | |||
4:40 | Mohamed Wague personal foul (Duke Brennan draws the foul) | |||
4:40 | Nick Pringle technical foul | |||
4:40 | +1 | Ray Harrison makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 19-23 | |
4:40 | +1 | Ray Harrison makes technical free throw 2 of 2 | 20-23 | |
4:40 | +1 | Duke Brennan makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 21-23 | |
4:40 | Duke Brennan misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
4:40 | Grant Nelson defensive rebound | |||
4:20 | Tyon Grant-Foster shooting foul (Rylan Griffen draws the foul) | |||
4:20 | Rylan Griffen misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
4:20 | +1 | Rylan Griffen makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 21-24 | |
4:03 | +2 | Tyon Grant-Foster makes two point jump shot | 23-24 | |
3:53 | +2 | Aaron Estrada makes two point layup | 23-26 | |
3:29 | Ray Harrison misses three point jump shot | |||
3:27 | Gabe McGlothan offensive rebound | |||
3:24 | +2 | Gabe McGlothan makes two point layup | 25-26 | |
3:09 | +2 | Rylan Griffen makes two point layup | 25-28 | |
2:49 | +3 | Tyon Grant-Foster makes three point jump shot | 28-28 | |
2:27 | Collin Moore personal foul (Grant Nelson draws the foul) | |||
2:27 | TV timeout | |||
2:27 | +1 | Grant Nelson makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 28-29 | |
2:27 | Grant Nelson misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
2:27 | Tyon Grant-Foster defensive rebound | |||
2:14 | Collin Moore turnover (lost ball) (Aaron Estrada steals) | |||
1:59 | Ray Harrison shooting foul (Rylan Griffen draws the foul) | |||
1:59 | +1 | Rylan Griffen makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 28-30 | |
1:59 | +1 | Rylan Griffen makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 28-31 | |
1:38 | Rylan Griffen shooting foul (Tyon Grant-Foster draws the foul) | |||
1:38 | Tyon Grant-Foster misses regular free throw 1 of 3 | |||
1:38 | Tyon Grant-Foster misses regular free throw 2 of 3 | |||
1:38 | Tyon Grant-Foster misses regular free throw 3 of 3 | |||
1:38 | Jarin Stevenson defensive rebound | |||
1:31 | +2 | Nick Pringle makes two point dunk (Aaron Estrada assists) | 28-33 | |
1:01 | Nick Pringle blocks Gabe McGlothan's two point layup | |||
0:59 | Antelopes offensive rebound | |||
0:57 | Antelopes turnover (shot clock violation) | |||
0:45 | +3 | Rylan Griffen makes three point jump shot (Aaron Estrada assists) | 28-36 | |
0:21 | +2 | Tyon Grant-Foster makes two point layup | 30-36 | |
0:05 | +2 | Aaron Estrada makes two point layup (Mark Sears assists) | 30-38 | |
0:00 | End of period |