Sears scores 27 as No. 5 Alabama holds off No. 10 Texas A&M

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Mark Sears scored 27 points, Aden Holloway added 15, and No. 5 Alabama beat No. 10 Texas A&M 94-88 on Saturday night in the first game between top 10 teams in College Station history.

The Crimson Tide (14-2, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) never trailed in winning their eighth consecutive game. Alabama snapped A&M’s nine-game win streak, the longest by the Aggies (13-3, 2-1) since the 2015-16 squad won 10 straight.

Guard Zhuric Phelps led the Aggies with 24 points.

Texas A&M senior guard Wade Taylor IV missed his second consecutive game with an undisclosed injury.

Alabama center Clifford Omoruyi missed the second of two free throws with 37 seconds remaining and the Crimson Tide leading 88-84. But teammate Chris Youngblood grabbed the rebound and made both his free throws to give Alabama a 90-84 lead.

Sears is the second Alabama player with 1,500 points, 300 assists and 200 3-pointers in a career, joining Brian Williams (1995-99).

Takeaways

Alabama: The Crimson Tide had won their four previous games by an average of 25 points, but the Aggies gave them a better fight and hung around for most of the contest, thanks in part to a rowdy crowd.

Texas A&M: The Aggies failed to capitalize on an 80-78 comeback victory at No. 17 Oklahoma on Wednesday, and if they could have been respectable from the free-throw line against the Crimson Tide they might have prevailed. The Aggies shot 58% (28 of 48) from the line. Alabama was 27 of 40.

Key moment

The Crimson Tide had a 56-51 lead with a little less than 15 minutes remaining in the game when A&M’s Phelps missed a jump shot and Holloway sank a 3-pointer for an eight-point lead.

Key stat

The Aggies had only been outrebounded in one game, but Alabama held a 54-46 advantage on the boards.

Up next

The Crimson Tide host No. 23 Mississippi and the Aggies play at No. 6 Kentucky, both on Tuesday night.

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