SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Mark Sears led the highest-scoring offense in the country with 30 points, and fourth-seeded Alabama had no problem making shots in its NCAA Tournament opener, racing past No. 13 seed Charleston 109-96 on Friday night.
After two other teams from the state of Alabama, UAB and Auburn, got bounced earlier Friday in Spokane, the Crimson Tide avoided boarding another charter plane for a long flight home.
Sears was the catalyst, turning a close game into a blowout with a pair of surges late in the first half and to begin the second. The second-team AP All-American hit the 30-point mark for the fourth time this season and helped get others involved.