Alabama turned up its defensive pressure in the second half to make its return to the Top 25 a successful one -- barely.

The 25th-ranked Crimson Tide forced 14 turnovers and held Texas-Arlington to 39 percent shooting after halftime, and the Mavericks' Erick Neal missed a potential game-winning shot as time expired to seal Alabama's 77-76 win Tuesday in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

After a Neal 3-pointer cut the Alabama lead to 77-76 with 19 seconds left, UT Arlington forced a five-second call on the Crimson Tide, but the Mavericks' point guard could not convert at the end.

After trailing for the first 27 minutes, Alabama, which returned to the national rankings this week for the first time in almost six years, held UT Arlington scoreless for more than three minutes during an 8-0 run that put the Tide up 66-60 with 7:31 to go.

Collin Sexton, the only player in double figures for Alabama (4-0), scored a game-high 29 points.

Avery Johnson Jr., the coach's son, hit a 3-pointer to give the Crimson Tide their first lead, 54-53, with 12:12 remaining.

The Mavericks, preseason favorites in the Sun Belt Conference, led by as many as 12 in the first half.

Kevin Hervey led UT Arlington (2-1) with 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Neal added 16 points and dished out 12 assists.

The offenses set a torrid pace in the opening 20 minutes.

UT Arlington shot 62.5 percent, including 15 of 21 from inside the arc, while the Tide shot 53.6 percent.

After the Mavericks took their biggest lead of the half at 44-32, Sexton scored seven points during a 9-2 Alabama run that cut the UT Arlington advantage to 46-41 at the break.

Hervey scored 15 first-half points on 6-of-6 shooting and made three 3-pointers.

The Tide cut a 10-point Mavericks lead to four on a 3-pointer by Riley Norris with 13:50 left in the first half, but UT Arlington pushed the margin back to double digits.

UT Arlington went on a 10-0 for an early 17-7 lead.

The Mavericks made seven straight shots over an early 4 1/2-minute stretch and started the game 11 of 14 from the floor.

Overall, Alabama shot 50.9 percent from the floor, and UT Arlington shot 51.7 percent.

Both teams return to action on Friday. UT Arlington returns home to take on Western Carolina. Alabama begins play in the Barclays Center Classic against BYU.