Mark Sears scored 20 points to lead six Alabama players in double figures as the No. 10 Crimson Tide recorded a 94-79 runaway victory over No. 20 North Carolina in the SEC/ACC Challenge on Wednesday in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Labaron Philon and Aden Holloway both had 15 points, Clifford Omoruyi and Derrion Reid had 11 apiece and Grant Nelson provided 10 for the Crimson Tide (7-2).
It was a rematch of a Sweet 16 matchup last season, which was also won by Alabama, but this one didn’t live up to the billing.
Freshman Ian Jackson scored a season-high 23 points for North Carolina (4-4), which has lost three games in a row. RJ Davis racked up 18 points, and Seth Trimble had 12 points.
Alabama hit 12 of 33 shots from 3-point range (36.4 percent), while North Carolina suffered through 5-for-28 long-range shooting (17.9 percent). Davis was 1-for-11 from beyond the arc.
The Crimson Tide posted nine straight points early in the second half for a 52-38 edge. The gap grew to 67-50 with 11:24 to play.
The Tar Heels trimmed an 18-point deficit to 74-64 before Alabama scored five consecutive points to dash that threat.
Alabama led 43-34 at halftime, having hit seven 3-pointers compared to North Carolina’s two successful treys.
Sears poured in 11 points in the first eight minutes as the Crimson Tide built a 21-14 lead.
The Crimson Tide went up 31-18 on a Holloway 3-pointer. Sears went to the bench with his second foul with 6:37 left in the half, though he returned before the break.
North Carolina has faced a double-digit deficit in four consecutive games, though the rallied to win the first of those contests against Dayton. They subsequently lost to Auburn and Michigan State before falling to the Crimson Tide.
Tar Heels freshman Drake Powell made his first career start, replacing Jae’Lyn Withers in the first-string unit. Powell, coming off an 18-point effort against the Spartans, didn’t take a shot until the second half on Wednesday and finished with six points.
The Tar Heels, who begin Atlantic Coast Conference play Saturday vs. visiting Georgia Tech, had won their two previous home games this season.
The Crimson Tide play host to Creighton on Saturday.
