CLEVELAND — (AP) — All-America guard Mark Sears scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half and second-seeded Alabama pulled away late to escape 15th-seeded Robert Morris 90-81 on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Colonials gave the Crimson Tide (27-8) all they could handle and even took their first lead at 65-64 on a layup by Josh Omojafo to bring the Rocket Arena crowd to its feet.
Alabama responded behind Sears, who had seven points during an 11-2 surge that gave the Crimson Tide some breathing room against the Horizon League champions. Robert Morris (26-9) came in as a 22-1/2 point underdog, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, yet spent most of the afternoon threatening to author the first true bracket-buster of the tournament after a relatively quiet opening day on Thursday.
Instead, the Crimson Tide gathered themselves to advance. Alabama will face either Saint Mary’s or Vanderbilt in the second round on Sunday.
Cleveland native Amarion Dickerson led the Colonials with 25 points, including a spectacular sequence in the second half in which the 6-foot-7 junior put together a series of athletic buckets that helped erase a 10-point deficit.
How serious did it get? Alabama forward Grant Nelson, who was a game-time decision due to a knee injury, made his first appearance midway through the second half in hopes of finally putting the Colonials away.
Nelson eventually did just that, throwing down a two-handed dunk with just over two minutes left that pushed Alabama's lead back to double digits. Crimson Tide center Clifford Omoruyi had a season-high 17 points on 8-for-8 shooting, most of them dunks.
Robert Morris: The Colonials found their footing in their fifth season in the Horizon League behind longtime coach Andy Toole. The Penn graduate figures to have his name pop up in connection with a vacancy or two (his alma mater is looking for a coach), though the 44-year-old has stressed he's content at a school where's been a fixture since 2007.
Alabama: The Crimson Tide did not panic late even as momentum and most of the capacity crowd turned against them. Sears shook off a shaky start and Nelson appeared to be just fine in his 7 minutes of work.
The Crimson Tide will aim for their fourth Sweet 16 appearance in five years on Sunday.
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