Mark Sears scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half to help second-seeded Alabama hold off Robert Morris and secure a 90-81 victory on Friday afternoon in an NCAA Tournament East Region first-round game at Cleveland.
Mouhamed Dioubate finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds and Clifford Omoruyi had 17 points for Alabama (26-8), which advanced to Sunday’s second round to face No. 7 seed Saint Mary’s.
Sears, who also dished out 10 assists, made 11 of 13 free throws and sparked a late 11-1 surge by the Crimson Tide after the Colonials briefly took the lead late in the second half.
“Sears didn’t want this to be his last game and you could see that,” Alabama head coach Nate Oats said on the TruTV broadcast.
Amarion Dickerson scored a game-high 25 points and added nine rebounds for 15th-seeded Robert Morris (26-9), which fell short of what would have been its first appearance in the second round.
“I just wish I could play another game,” Dickerson said at the team’s postgame press conference. “That’s just the only thing I’m thinking about right now is playing another game with the guys.”
Alvaro Folgueiras had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Colonials, while Josh Omojafo had 12 points and DJ Smith added 10.
The Colonials led 65-64 with 7:10 remaining before the Crimson Tide went on a decisive 11-1 run to take control with 3:24 remaining.
“We finally got some stops and some defensive rebounds,” Oats said. “They did a great job on the boards, and we didn’t rebound most of the game. They’re a good team and Dickerson did a great job on the glass.”
Dickerson’s layup and subsequent free throw with 7:44 left cut Robert Morris’ deficit to 64-63. A layup by Omojafo gave the Colonials their lone lead of the game.
Alabama’s Grant Nelson, who was questionable due to a left knee injury, answered with a dunk with 6:40 left to put Alabama back in front for good. Nelson did not start and didn’t check into the game until there was 7:33 left with Alabama’s season in jeopardy.
Sears took charge late by carrying Alabama at the free-throw line and by attacking the rim.
With Robert Morris fading late, Dickerson took a hard hit to the back of the head as he was coming down in the paint with 4:58 left. Dickerson returned moments later, but was unable to affect the outcome, and fouled out with 1:02 left.
“I’m incredibly proud of these guys,” Robert Morris coach Andy Toole said at the team’s postgame press conference.
Dickerson helped the Colonials to a 39-37 rebounding advantage, collecting six his team’s 16 offensive rebounds. Alabama entered the game leading the nation with 43.1 rebounds per game.
–Field Level Media
