Mark Sears scored 27 points and number seven Alabama held off a late comeback try, beating Creighton 83-75 on Saturday night. Sears, a senior guard who added six rebounds and four assists, hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final six minutes and shot 8 for 15 from the field. He made 4 of 7 shots from 3-point range and accounted for most of the Crimson Tide's long distance shooting as the team went 6 for 30 from beyond the arc.
Freshmen Labaron Philon scored 16 points and Derrion Reid 12 for Alabama (8-2).
Creighton's Jackson McAndrew scored 13 of his 16 points in the last six minutes, keeping the Bluejays (7-4) withing striking distance for most of the final minutes. Steven Ashworth led Creighton with 20 points and Ryan Kalkbrenner had 18 points and seven rebounds.
The Bluejays, playing their first road game of the season, trailed quickly and were down by 14 points midway through the first half. They rallied to within six before halftime and trailed by six again in the final three minutes of the game. The Crimson Tide beat a power conference team despite only four points from Grant Nelson, who grabbed 10 rebounds.
Alabama made its final eight free throws, all with less than four minutes left, to maintain its lead. The Tide entered the game shooting 72.8% from the line and finished 17 for 22 (77.2%). The Tide also grabbed 17 offensive rebounds and scored 14 second-chance points off of those rebounds.
Alabama plays at North Dakota on Wednesday, a game scheduled for Nelson, a North Dakota native. Creighton opens Big East play at Georgetown on Wednesday.
