LAS VEGAS -- — Mark Sears scored 24 points and No. 9 Alabama defeated Rutgers 95-90 on Wednesday night in the Players Era Festival at MGM Grand Garden.

Rutgers pulled within two with 1:28 left, but five free throws down the stretch sealed the win for the Crimson Tide (6-1).

Grant Nelson had 17 points and nine rebounds for Alabama, while Mouhamed Dioubate, Jarin Stevenson and Derrion Reid scored 10 points apiece.

Dylan Harper led Rutgers (5-2) with a career-high 37 points. Ace Bailey finished with 22 points and Jeremiah Williams chipped in with 10 points for the Scarlet Knights.

Takeaways

Rutgers: Harper, son of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper Sr., continued an impressive start to his collegiate career with his seventh straight double-figure performance. The freshman point guard from New Jersey is averaging 24.5 points per game thus far.

Alabama: After squandering a six-point lead midway through the first half and falling behind by five, the Crimson Tide got a boost from their bench, as their reserves outscored Rutgers’ 15-5 in the first half. Alabama’s bench finished with a 38-6 edge.

Key moment

Moments after Rutgers’ Jordan Derkack’s failed dunk attempt, Sears chose not to drive the lane during the ensuing fast break and instead drained a 3-pointer to give Alabama a 56-53 lead early in the second half. The Tide led from that point forward.

Key stat

2 -- Rutgers, which came into the game hitting 35.2% from 3-point range, made just two of its 13 attempts from long-range, a paltry 15.3%.

Up next

Alabama will play Oregon in the championship game on Saturday, and Rutgers will face No. 20 Texas A&M.

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