LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP)—Alonzo Gee had 19 points and eight rebounds to lead Alabama to a 58-48 victory over Saint Joseph’s on Wednesday in the fifth-place game of the EA Sports Maui Invitational.
The Crimson Tide (3-2) finished with a 37-23 rebound advantage and outscored the Hawks 38-18 in the paint.
Tasheed Carr matched his career high with 23 points for the Hawks (2-3), who opened the tournament with a 68-50 loss to No. 6 Texas.
Alabama, which lost 92-69 to Oregon in the first round, closed the first half on a 10-0 run and scored the first basket of the second half for a 31-18 lead, its biggest of the game.
Saint Joseph’s, which opened the game missing nine of its first 12 shots, got as close as 43-39 on a 3 by Carr with 8:24 to go, but Gee scored on a tip-in and Yamene Coleman followed with a basket down low.
Both schools were making their first appearance in the tournament.
