Struggling offensively for the first time in the regular season, it was fitting that Alabama’s veteran leader Mark Sears carried the offense when needed.

No. 22 Alabama was tied at 15 apiece with South Alabama, a team picked to finish sixth in the Sun Belt, nearly halfway through the opening frame. But before the Jaguars could build momentum, the Tide’s signature brand of three-point shooting and tight defense showed up.

Sears made his first five shots, including a trio from 3-point range, pushing Alabama ahead with a 23-2 run. He finished with 17 points, five rebounds and five assists. Alabama’s top-15 offense remained dynamic with 12 3s and 34-of-55 shooting overall.

The walk-ons pushed Alabama over the century mark for the third game in a row, UA winning 102-46. The Tide (3-0) blew out another non-conference opponent, stomping the Jaguars (1-2) following their road win at Buffalo, Nate Oats’ former program.

But before Alabama found its rhythm, USA mucked up the game’s opening minutes. Neither side looked comfortable on offense. Alabama deployed a full-court press whenever it managed a bucket, like a nifty reverse finish from Aaron Estrada. UA produced 24 points off turnovers compared to USA’s eight.

Junior guard Maxwell Land scored eight in a row for the visitors, building up a six-point lead. But then the clamps went on. The bench deepened and Land’s second 3-pointer was the last USA field goal for nearly eight minutes. Rylan Griffen added nine points in the game-deciding run as the Tide started to find open shots from deep.

Alabama has now scored 309 points in three games. Freshman Sam Walters added 16 points off the bench. Mohamed Wague contributed 10 points and seven boards in 16 minutes. Forward Nick Pringle scored 10 in the second half. But as Oats has mentioned, the early non-conference schedule is as much about figuring out the defensive rotation.

Against Indiana State last Friday, eight Alabama players recorded at least 10 minutes, with Pringle, a starter, earning just 12. Oats had wanted more rim protection from the 6-foot-10 second-year big and Pringle acquiesced with his first block of the season and a plus-25 score differential when he was on the floor.

South Alabama’s shooting struggles continued in the second half. It made three of its first six 3-pointers then missed the next 16. Land led the Jaguars with 15 total points, the lone player with more than 10.

Alabama had allowed Morehead State and Indiana State to shoot 47% from the field and 34.7% on 3-pointers. USA was limited to 23.3% and 17.2%, respectively.

Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].