CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Mark Sears scored 20 points, Aden Holloway and Labaron Philon each had 15 points and No. 10 Alabama defeated No. 20 North Carolina 94-79 on Wednesday night in the ACC-SEC Challenge.

Clifford Omoruyi and Derrion Reid each scored 11 points and Grant Nelson had 10 points, helping the Crimson Tide (6-2) beat three top-25 opponents in a row for the first time in three seasons.

The repeat of Alabama’s Sweet 16 win last season wasn’t close.

Freshman Ian Jackson scored a season-high 23 points, RJ Davis had 18 and Seth Trimble added 12 points for the Tar Heels (4-4). They have lost three times in a row.

A 9-0 run early in the second half pushed Alabama to an 18-point lead of 52-38.

Takeaways

Alabama: The Crimson Tide earned its first road win of the season, compensating for a loss at Purdue. Balanced scoring is a luxury when at least five players reach double-digit total points for the fourth game in a row.

North Carolina: The Tar Heels kept falling into holes in the first half.

Key moment

Alabama didn’t flinch when Sears, a preseason All-America selection, picked up his second foul with 6:37 left in the first half and sat out several minutes. The Crimson Tide led 43-34 at halftime.

Key statistics

Alabama made 12 3-pointers while the Tar Heels shot 5-for-28. Davis was 1 for 11.

Next

North Carolina opens Atlantic Coast Conference play Saturday at home against Georgia Tech. Alabama hosts Creighton on December 14th.

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