The Alabama men’s basketball team held off Mercer, 80-79, Tuesday night at the Rocket City Classic in Huntsville, Ala. The Crimson Tide (8-3) outscored Mercer (6-6), 49-44, in the second half after trailing, 35-31, at halftime to outlast the Bears for the win.

Four players reached double figures as freshman Collin Sexton dropped 15 points in the second half to total 21 points to help fend off the Bears late in the game.

Along with Sexton, fellow freshmen Alex Reese and John Petty combined for 20 second-half points to push Alabama ahead. Reese and Petty finished with 10 and 18 points respectively. Sophomore Dazon Ingram was crucial down the stretch, adding 11 points and eight rebounds.

Alabama finished the night shooting 45 percent from the floor (28-of-62), outscoring the Bears in the paint, 38-28, while scoring 20 points off of 16 Mercer turnovers. On the defensive end, the Crimson Tide controlled the boards, outrebounding the Bears 36-32.

The Crimson Tide will square off against Texas on Friday night in Birmingham’s Legacy Arena as part of the annual Vulcan Classic presented by Knight Eady. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on ESPN 2.

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