The Alabama men’s basketball team fell to Mercer 66-59 on Saturday in Coleman Coliseum.

The loss drops the Crimson Tide to 7-4 on the season, while the Bears improve to 7-6. The Tide has lost three of its last four games after its 6-0 start.

“They outplayed us in the second half,” said Alabama head coach Anthony Grant. “It’s always going to be a 40 minute game and as a team we’ve struggled to understand that. We’ve struggled to understand the focus and intensity that we have to play with.

“As a coach right now, it’s frustrating for me to watch it and go through these experiences over and over again.”

Mercer outplayed and outshot the Tide in the second half. The Bears made six of their 13 second half three pointers, including a crucial three to put them up 63-59 after an Alabama turnover with 36 seconds remaining.

For the game, Alabama went 21-53 (39.6 percent) from the field, 4-14 (28.6 percent) from behind the three point arc and 13-20 (65 percent) from the foul line. The Bears shot 40.7 (22-54) percent from the field and outrebounded the Tide, 35-33, including 12 offensive boards, which led to 16 second chance points for the Bears.  Alabama used eight players in the game and had eight points from the bench.

Trevor Releford led the Tide with 19 points and five rebounds while Rodney Cooper scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

Mercer was led by Daniel Coursey’s game-high 20 points. Travis Smith added 17 points and two other Mercer starters scored in double figure as Jakob Gollon and Langston Hall chipped in with 10 points each.

“It was a fantastic win for our program and our young men,” said Mercer head coach Bob Hoffman. “It was a fantastic effort by a bunch of guys that stayed focused when a lot of guys lose focus this time of year.”

Alabama will return to action Sunday, Dec. 30 to face Tulane in Coleman Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m.