Alabama 77, Villanova 55: Trevor Releford scored a career-high 25 points and Rodney Cooper had 17 as the Crimson Tide pulled away in the second half to win the 2K Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden.

Releford, a junior guard and second-team all-SEC selection last season, moved into the starting lineup after coming off the bench the first three games and shot 8-for-9 from the field for Alabama (4-0), making all five 3-point attempts.

Cooper, who hit the go-ahead 3-point basket with 14 seconds left in a three-point semifinal win Thursday night against Oregon State, made 7 of 12 shots from the floor and scored in double digits for the fourth consecutive game.

JayVaughn Pinkston scored 17 points to lead Villanova (3-1), which shot 15-for-46 from the field (32.6 percent) and committed 18 turnovers. Ryan Arcidiacono was the only other player in double digits for the Wildcats, scoring 11.

Alabama took control of the game with a 10-0 run early in the second half that gave the Tide a 39-31 lead.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Villanova and Alabama had met only twice prior, a Villanova victory in 1977 and an Alabama win in 1991. … Trevor Lacey, the leading scorer for Alabama coming into the game (19.3), sat the final 14:51 of the first half after picking up two quick fouls. He went scoreless in the first half and finished with seven points. … Villanova had been outrebounding opponents by an average of 5.7 - the same margin Alabama had been outrebounded through the first three games - but the Tide won the battle of the boards, 28-26.