Alabama survived a physical grind of a game on Friday night at Coleman Coliseum, holding off Arkansas State 88-79.

The teams combined for 52 fouls and 80 free throw attempts, with the second-ranked Crimson Tide (2-0) going just 28-for-44 from the line. The game was tied with 7:08 left before Mouhamed Dioubate’s tip-in put Alabama on top for good at 70-68.

All-America guard Mark Sears scored 19 points for Alabama, while forward Grant Nelson had 12 off the bench. Rutgers transfer Clifford Omoruyi added 12 points and a team-high 9 rebounds despite being limited to 17 minutes due to foul trouble.

Officials’ whistles were the story of the game’s first 20 minutes, during which the teams combined for 31 fouls and 53 free throws. Alabama’s Jarin Stevenson picked up four fouls in the first half, and finished with just 2 points and five rebounds in 10 minutes.

Alabama led by as many as 16 in the first half before Arkansas State — the preseason favorite in the Sun Belt Conference — closed the gap to 43-40 at halftime. The Red Wolves — coached by former Alabama assistant Bryan Hodgson — never led after going up 5-4 early, but didn’t fall behind by two possessions permanently until Sears hit two free throws to make it 74-70 with 5:15 remaining.

Freshman guard Labaron Philon also scored in double figures with 12 points, while Derrion Reid had 10 and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. added 9. Alabama made only six of 31 3-point attempts, with Sears going 0-for-5 and Wrightsell 1-for-9.

Kobe Julien — the preseason Sun Belt Player of the Year — scored a game-high 20 points for Arkansas State (1-1), while Taryn Todd added 18 and Rashaud Marshall chipped in 11 points with 8 rebounds. The Red Wolves missed 13 free throws and went just 6-for-28 on 3-point attempts.

Alabama hosts McNeese at 6 p.m. Monday. That game will air on SEC Network.