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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) – Alabama didn't waste time being
disappointmented about not getting into the NCAA Tournament.
Erwin Dudley's 22 points and career-high 19 rebounds as the
Crimson Tide built a big lead and held on for an 85-79 victory over
Seton Hall in a first-round NIT game Tuesday night.
|  | | Coach Tommy Amaker's Pirates couldn't sustain their late-season momentum in the first round of the NIT. |
Alabama will meet the South Alabama-Toledo winner in the second
round.
"Many people thought we were going to come out with our heads
down and we came out and fought," said Dudley, who also tipped in
a missed free throw in the final seconds.
Rod Grizzard and Travis Stinnett also scored 22 as the Tide
(22-10) saw their 21-point lead trimmed to three in the final nine
minutes. Once a virtual lock for the NCAA Tournament, Alabama had
lost five of its last six.
Now, they've set their sights on making it to New York for the
NIT final four.
"A lot of us have not been to New York," Grizzard said, "so
that would be a great spring break."
Dudley hit a long jumper with the shot clock winding down, then
Reggie Garrett's putback for Seton Hall with 8.8 seconds left to
make it 82-79.
Grizzard was quickly fouled and hit his first free throw. He
missed the second, but Dudley tipped it in with 7 seconds left
to seal the win.
The Pirates (16-15), who had won three of four coming in, have
lost eight straight NIT first-round games since 1955-56.
"We're very much disappointed in the way things ended for us,"
Seton Hall coach Tommy Amaker said. "A lot of people probably felt
they should have been in the other tournament.
"It looks like they are going to try to make a statement in
this tournament and that's the way to go about it."
Alabama, which made it to the NIT semifinals in 1996, is 16-1 at
home.
Dudley had nine of the Tide's 20 offensive rebounds as they
dominated the boards 48-34, though center Kenny Walker had just two
points and four rebounds. Dudley was 10-for-17 from the floor.
Stinnett scored all of his points in the first half, when he was
6-for-8 from 3-point range.
"I just kept shooting and they kept falling," said Stinnett,
0-for-2 in the second half. "They keyed on me a little bit and that
opened up other guys."
Grizzard scored 14 points in the final 16 minutes and matched
his career-high with 11 rebounds.
Reserve Gerald Wallace had 13 points, 11 rebounds, five assists,
three blocks and three steals. He had eight offensive boards and a
few highlight-reel dunks.
"Gerald had the best game I've seen him have since December,"
Alabama coach Mark Gottfried said. "He had a great all around
game."
Big East rookie of the year Eddie Griffin led Seton Hall with 22
points but was held to six rebounds, nearly five below his average.
Darius Lane had 11 of his 21 points in a span of about two
minutes to help rally the Pirates. He became the 30th Seton Hall
player to score 1,000 career points.
Ty Shine added 18 points, including 4-of-6 3-pointers, off the
bench.
The Tide took a 71-50 lead on Grizzard's 3-pointer and his
alley-oop to Walker with 9:28 left. Griffin scored six quick points
and Lane had 11 straight, including two 3-pointers, to bring Seton
Hall back.
Stinnett hit three 3s to spark a 15-0 run after Seton Hall
briefly took its only lead of the game at 12-11.
After the Pirates cut it to 10, Stinnett was fouled on a 3-point
try and hit two free throws. Then, Dudley grabbed the offensive
rebound after his miss and passed to Stinnett, who buried another 3
to make it 48-35 at halftime.
"I'm proud of the way our guys bounced back and played hard,"
Gottfried said. "The last couple of days, I felt like we've been
getting beat up (in the media).
"We certainly wanted to be in the (NCAA) Tournament but we're
not."
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ALSO SEE
Men's College Basketball Scoreboard
Seton Hall Clubhouse
Alabama Clubhouse
NIT schedule, results
Memphis outplays undetermined Utes
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Gerald Wallace blocks a Seton Hall dunk attempt then gathers himself and rejects another Pirate effort.
avi: 878 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Gerald Wallace breaks up the pass and converts the easy two on the other end.
avi: 779 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Rod Grizzard pulls up and knocks down a long-range 3-pointer.
avi: 1009 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Travis Stinnett hits 2-of-3 free throws and a 3-pointer all on the same trip down the court.
avi: 1121 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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