TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – No. 9 Alabama took down Rutgers in the final game of the group stage Wednesday night 95-90.

While Alabama struggled from the free throw line, shooting 25-for-36 in the game, the Crimson Tide free throw shooting made the difference in Alabama’s win. 

After Alabama and Rutgers went back-and-forth deep into the second half, the Crimson Tide seemed to have started to pull away with five minutes remaining. Alabama built up a 87-78 lead behind free throws from forwards Jarin Stevenson and Grant Nelson.

Rutgers freshman Dylan Harper took over in a comeback effort for the Scarlet Knights. Harper led the charge on a 10-3 run, scoring six points in under two minutes with the help of freshman teammate Ace Bailey to cut the Alabama lead to 90-88 with 1:28 remaining in the game.

Stevenson and Nelson put the game on ice for the Crimson Tide, hitting the game’s final five free throws to secure a victory and a spot in Saturday’s championship game.

Alabama point guard Mark Sears led Alabama in scoring, putting up 24 points for the second consecutive night, this time on 7-for-19 shooting including 3-for-9 from beyond the arc and tacking on seven free throws

One glaring issue in the game for the Crimson Tide was turnovers. Alabama committed 20 turnovers, a season-high on the season so far, compared to just nine Rutgers turnovers. The Scarlet Knights capitalized on the Alabama turnovers, outscoring Alabama 23-9 in points off turnovers.

“Our turnovers were a major issue. That’s way too many for having a skilled, talented team that’s supposed to be a good offensive team,” Alabama head coach Nate Oats said. “So give Rutgers a lot of credit for their physicality.”

Alabama forward Mouhamed Dioubate gave a productive contribution off the bench once again for the Crimson Tide. Dioubate finished just short of a double-double, netting 10 points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting and grabbing nine rebounds.

Oats praised Dioubate for what he called Dioubate’s “blue-collar” approach to basketball during Alabama’s stay in Las Vegas.

“He gets to get offensive boards. He gets the offensive boards from the free-throw line. He gets them everywhere. He’s finishing at the rim,” Oats said. “I think he’s locked into making winning plays.”

Nelson also came just short of a double-double Wednesday night. Nelson finished 17 points and nine rebounds while making seven out of his nine free throws on the night. Nelson made the final two free throws of the game that effectively put the game out of reach.

Rebounding for Alabama helped aid the turnover woes. The Crimson Tide outrebounded Rutgers 43-31, with 16 of the 43 rebounds being offensive. Alabama took advantage with the offensive rebounds, outscoring Rutgers 18-9 in second chance points.

Two Rutgers players that gave Alabama problems all night were guards Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper. Both freshmen enter college basketball as five-star recruits and are the two highest rated recruits in program history for Rutgers.

Harper scored 37 points against the Alabama defense on 11-for-19 shooting and 15-for-16 on free throws. Harper drove into the paint all night, earning his various trips to the free-throw line. His 37 points are the highest points scored by a freshman in a college basketball game this season. In Rutgers’ first game in group play against Notre Dame, Harper scored 36 points.

Harper’s running mate Ace Bailey added 22 points for the Scarlet Knights on 9-for-18 shooting and making all three of his free throw attempts.

Oats gave Harper and Bailey a lot of credit for the problems they gave to the Crimson Tide, “Dylan Harper’s really talented. Ace Bailey is super talented,” Oats said. “Those guys are gonna cause some problems with some other teams, but we got to do a better job.”

Up next, Alabama gears up for the championship game in the Player’s Era Festival. The Crimson Tide will face the Oregon Ducks on Saturday night. The winner of the championship will come away with $500,000 for the school’s NIL collective. Alabama and Oregon will tip off at 8:30 p.m. CT.