Alabama men’s basketball coach Nate Oats may not want to schedule another away game so one of his players goes home soon.

Not if everyone feels like they did against North Dakota.

From start to finish, the Fighting Hawks stuck with Alabama. The Crimson Tide had to fight until the final minute and beat North Dakota 97-90 on Wednesday in Grand Forks, North Dakota, which was a homecoming of sorts for Grant Nelson.

Nelson and Mark Sears led Alabama with 23 points apiece.

Here are takeaways from the game between No. 6 Alabama (8-2) and North Dakota (4-8).

Sloppy start on the road

Alabama ended the first half with a turnover and it felt appropriate.

Sears threw the ball out of bounds as the Crimson Tide failed to score any points on their final possession before halftime. As a result, the Fighting Hawks led 38-35 at halftime.

Alabama had 13 turnovers in the first half. That made it difficult to get anything going offensively as the Crimson Tide struggled to make shots.

Alabama shot 0-for-8 from deep and 3-for-12 overall early in the game.

These offensive stumbles, as Alabama tried different lineups, allowed North Dakota to stay current.

The Crimson Tide solved their turnover problems in the second half and finished with 14. But those first-half woes prevented Alabama from dashing any early hopes of an upset at North Dakota.

Treysen Eaglestaff is causing all kinds of problems for Alabama

The Crimson Tide won’t forget Treysen Eaglestaff.

The Bismark, North Dakota native made play after play and shot after shot. Just when it looked like Alabama was gaining traction and pulling ahead by 11 in the second half, Eaglestaff led the charge and fought back.

After Alabama took a 64-55 lead with 10:57 left, Eaglestaff went to work. He scored on North Dakota’s next four throws, two of them from long range.

A few minutes later, Eaglestaff hit its seventh triple of the game, tying the score at 78-78 with 4:06 left.

Eaglestaff posted the highest score of his career, finishing the game with 40 points while shooting 15-for-30 and 8-for-18 from distance.

Grant Nelson with a double-double in the home game

The Devils Lake, North Dakota native shined in his return to his home state, and Alabama needed it. Especially with what he did late.

Nelson, who transferred to Alabama from North Dakota State last season, scored with two minutes left to tie the game at 85-85, then grabbed a defensive rebound at the other end of the floor. He immediately drew a foul and hit his free throws to give Alabama a four-point lead with 90 seconds left.

A moment later, another defensive rebound followed and Nelson reached double-double territory. That gave him 10 rebounds. Nelson finished the night with 23 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and three blocks.

Nelson’s efforts helped Alabama secure the victory. He hit the last two free throws of the game and sealed the victory.

Nick Kelly is a beat writer from Alabama AL.com and Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X And Instagram.