LAS VEGAS – Mark Sears scored 24 points and No. 9 Alabama beat Rutgers 95-90 on Wednesday night at the Players Era Festival at MGM Grand Garden.

Rutgers got within two points with 1:28 left, but five free throws sealed the victory for the Crimson Tide (6-1).

Grant Nelson had 17 points and nine rebounds for Alabama, while Mouhamed Dioubate, Jarin Stevenson and Derrion Reid each scored 10 points.

Dylan Harper led Rutgers (5-2) with a career-high 37 points. Ace Bailey finished the game with 22 points and Jeremiah Williams added 10 points for the Scarlet Knights.

Takeaways

Rutgers: Harper, son of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper Sr., continued his impressive start to his college career with his seventh straight double-digit performance. The freshman point guard from New Jersey is averaging 24.5 points per game so far.

Alabama: After blowing a six-point lead midway through the first half and falling behind by five points, the Crimson Tide got a boost from their bench as their reserve team outscored Rutgers, 15-5, in the first half. Alabama’s bench finished with a 38-6 lead.

Key moment

Just moments after Rutgers’ Jordan Derkack’s failed dunk attempt, Sears forgot to drive the lane during the ensuing fast break and instead drained a 3-pointer to give Alabama a 56-53 lead early in the second half to take the lead. From that point on, the Tide led.

Key statistics

2 – Rutgers, which came into the game shooting 35.2% from 3-point range, made just two of its 13 attempts from long range, a paltry 15.3%.

Next

Both teams return to action on Saturday, the final day of the Players Era Festival. Alabama will face Oregon in the championship game. Rutgers is awaiting the outcome of Wednesday’s final game between No. 6 Houston and Notre Dame to determine its next opponent.

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