National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Alabama 64, Robert Morris 56
When: 5:30 PM ET, Saturday, January 4, 2014
Where: Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Officials: # Forrest Sigler, # Mike Thibodeaux, # Glenn Tuitt
Attendance: 10125

Alabama 64, Robert Morris 56: Trevor Releford scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half and the Crimson Tide rallied to beat the visiting Colonials.

Retin Obasohan had 12 points and seven rebounds and Carl Engstrom added eight points off the bench for Alabama (6-7), which snapped a three-game losing streak while recording a season-high 12 steals. The Crimson Tide trailed by as many as six points early in the second half before posting their first win this season in eight games decided by 10 or fewer points.

Karvel Anderson paced Robert Morris (5-10) with 16 points and Lucky Jones chipped in 14 points and seven rebounds. The Colonials scored the game’s first nine points and maintained control until Releford’s 3-pointer with just under 14 minutes remaining gave Alabama its first lead at 31-30.

Robert Morris led 23-20 after holding the Crimson Tide to eight field goals in the first half, but the Colonials struggled against Alabama’s pressure after intermission and committed a total of 19 turnovers. Releford tied a career high with six steals for Alabama, which led 46-44 with just under seven minutes left before scoring six consecutive points.

Releford made six of his 10 shots, including two 3-pointers, after scoring 34 points in last Saturday’s 75-67 loss at UCLA. Robert Morris cut the deficit to 55-51 at the two-minute mark, but Obasohan’s dunk capped a six-point run and Alabama held on for the win.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Robert Morris, which has opened its five-game road trip with three straight losses, shot 47.7 percent from the field and was 6-for-14 from 3-point range. … Alabama, which plays its SEC opener Jan. 7 against Vanderbilt, shot 54.5 percent and improved to 54-9 over its last 63 home games. … Starting C Mike McFadden (knee) was unavailable for the Colonials, who fell to 5-2 this season when leading at the half.
Top Game Performances
 
Robert Morris   Alabama
Karvel Anderson 16 Scoring Trevor Releford 18
Anthony Myers-Pate 6 Assists Rodney Cooper 4
Lucky Jones 7 Rebounds Retin Obasohan 7
Lucky Jones 6 Free Throws Made Trevor Releford 4
Karvel Anderson 2 Steals Trevor Releford 6
Stephan Hawkins 1 Blocks Carl Engstrom 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Robert Morris 56 47.7 6-14 8-13 13 21 2 9 19
Alabama 64 54.5 5-14 11-21 11 28 3 12 16