Sears scores 20, No. 8 Alabama beats No. 21 Miss St 78-67
By ROBBIE FAULK
Associated Press
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Mark Sears scored 20 points and No. 8 Alabama pulled away in the second half to beat No. 21 Mississippi State 78-67 in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams. Freshman Brandon Miller added 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Crimson Tide. D.J. Jeffries had 11 points and 15 rebounds, and Keshawn Murphy also scored 11 for Mississippi State, which shot a horrific 18 of 36 from the free-throw line. All-SEC big man Tolu Smith had a rough night for the Bulldogs, going 3 for 15 from the free-throw line and 1 for 7 from the field as he finished with five points.
