No. 10 Alabama dispatches No. 20 North Carolina in ACC-SEC Challenge

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Mark Sears scored 20 points, Aden Holloway and Labaron Philon each had 15 points and No. 10 Alabama beat No. 20 North Carolina 94-79 on Wednesday night in the ACC-SEC Challenge.

Clifford Omoruyi and Derrion Reid each scored 11 points and Grant Nelson had 10 points to help the Crimson Tide (6-2) beat three straight Top 25 opponents for the first time in three seasons.

The rematch of Alabama's Sweet 16 victory last season wasn’t close.

Freshman Ian Jackson scored a season-high 23 points, RJ Davis had 18 and Seth Trimble added 12 points for the Tar Heels (4-4). They've lost three in a row.

A 9-0 run early in the second half pushed Alabama to a 52-38 lead on the way to what became an 18-point spread.

Takeaways

Alabama: The Crimson Tide had first road victory of the season to counter a loss at Purdue. The balanced scoring is a luxury with at least five players with a double-figure points total for the fourth consecutive game.

North Carolina: The Tar Heels keep falling into first-half holes.

Key moment

Alabama didn’t flinch when Sears, a preseason All-America selection, picked up his second foul with 6:37 left in the first half and sat out for a few minutes. The Crimson Tide led 43-34 at the half.

Key stat

Alabama made 12 3-pointerse, while the Tar Heels went 5 for 28. Davis was 1 for 11.

Up next

North Carolina opens Atlantic Coast Conference play Saturday at home against Georgia Tech. Alabama hosts Creighton on Dec. 14.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball