TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Trevor Releford scored 16 points and had six assists as Alabama hung on to beat Vanderbilt 68-63 in the first SEC game for both teams.
Shannon Hale and Retin Obasohan had 15 points each, and Levi Randolph, 11 points for the Crimson Tide (7-7, 1-0).
Vanderbilt's (8-5, 0-1) Rod Odom had a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Damian Jones had 16 points and Kyle Fuller added 12 points for the Commodores.
With Alabama ahead 52-36 with 12:11 to go, the Commodores went on a 22-9 run to slice the lead to 61-58 before the Crimson Tide pushed the lead back up to 68-60 with 25 seconds left.
Vanderbilt played without leading scorer Eric McClellan who did not make the trip to Tuscaloosa for undisclosed reasons, leaving the Commodores short-handed with only seven scholarship players.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.