TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Noah Gurley scored a season-high 16 points and Mark Sears had 15, all in the second half, to lead No. 9 Alabama to an 84-64 victory over Jackson State on Tuesday night.
The Crimson Tide (10-2), coming off a 100-90 loss to No. 11 Gonzaga, struggled much of the way and even trailed a minute into the second half against the Tigers (1-11). Alabama scored the final eight points, though.
Gurley nearly tripled his season average of 5.8 points and Sears took over with three second-half 3-pointers against a team coached by former Alabama and NBA player Mo Williams.
Nick Pringle had 14 points and nine rebounds after coming into the game scoring less than one per game. The junior college transfer’s previous high in 11 games was four points, but he made all five field goal attempts.
Brandon Miller, the nation’s top-scoring freshman, had 10 points. It was half his season average, but Miller also grabbed 14 rebounds.
Ken Evans led Jackson State with 18 points. Trace Young had 10 rebounds and scored seven points for the Tigers, who were down only seven with less than six minutes to play.
Alabama led just 33-32 after a sloppy first half when Jackson State scored nine straight points late to whittle away at a double-digit margin. The Tide committed 13 turnovers by halftime and Jackson State scored the first basket coming out of the locker room.
THE TAKEAWAY
Jackson State: Dropped its fifth straight game, including a 102-52 defeat to Texas Tech and a 69-59 loss to No. 15 Mississippi State.
Alabama: Even with Jackson State missing 11 straight shots, Alabama still found itself tied more than 11 minutes into the game. The Tide committed 17 turnovers but only four in the second half.
WILLIAMS RETURNS
The former Alabama player and first-year Jackson State coach spent 14 years in the NBA and was part of Cleveland’s 2016 championship team. He spent the past two seasons at Alabama State.
UP NEXT
Jackson State visits Stephen F. Austin on Thursday night.
Alabama opens Southeastern Conference play at No. 15 Mississippi State on Dec. 28.
___
AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
