ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Mark Sears scored 19 of his 23 points in the second half, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 4:09 remaining, and No. 24 Alabama recovered from a slow start to beat Georgia 85-76 on Wednesday night.
Alabama (15-6, 7-1 Southeastern Conference) overcame poor shooting on 3-pointers and free throws to retain its hold on first place in the SEC.
Georgia (14-7, 4-4) led by 16 points in the first half and 41-27 at halftime but couldn’t stop the Crimson Tide’s second-half comeback led by Sears, Rylan Griffen and Grant Nelson.
Griffen’s 3-pointer produced the game’s first tie at 64-all. Sears’ 3 gave Alabama the lead for good at 69-66. Sears made two free throws to extend the lead to five points.
Nelson, who scored 20 points, sank two 3-pointers in the final 2 minutes to help the Crimson Tide protect the lead.
RJ Melendez and Noah Thomasson each scored 15 points for the Bulldogs.
Alabama, which leads the SEC with its average of 89.7 points per game, started slow and was held to 27 first-half points.
Sears, tied for second in the league with his average of 20 points per game, was held to four points in the first half while missing four of six shots from the field.
While Alabama missed eight of its first nine shots from the field, Georgia used a 13-0 run to lead 17-2. Melendez and Blue Cain made back-to-back 3-pointers to cap the run. Georgia's big lead was 16 points at 37-21.
The Crimson Tide recovered its shooting touch, making four straight shots from the field in one stretch, but still trailed 41-27 at halftime.
BIG PICTURE
Alabama: The Crimson Tide struggled to overcome its poor 3-point shooting. Alabama made only 2 of 11 long-range shots in the first half and 8 of 23 for the game. Strong second-half shooting by Sears, Nelson and Griffen helped the Crimson Tide return to their high-scoring norm. Griffen scored 12 points.
Georgia: Strong 3-point shooting was not enough to overcome a season-high 19 turnovers, including 11 in the first half. The Bulldogs' previous high was 18 turnovers in their 68-66 home win over Louisiana State on Jan. 24. G Justin Hill, who missed practice after suffering a sprained right ankle in overtime of a 102-98 loss at Florida on Saturday, scored five points in 22 minutes.
UP NEXT
Alabama: Hosts Mississippi State on Saturday. The Crimson Tide took an 82-74 win at Mississippi State on Jan. 13.
Georgia: After playing the SEC's first-place team, second-place South Carolina visits Athens on Saturday. The Bulldogs took a 74-69 win at South Carolina on Jan. 16.
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