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Vanderbilt forward Luke Kornet (3) pressures Alabama's Nick Jacobs, right, during an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2014, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo)

-- What happened Tuesday at Coleman Coliseum resulted in a win for the Alabama men's basketball team, but

Anthony Grant's

initial impression didn't exactly match what would be perceived as a step in the right direction.

In its 68-63 victory over Vanderbilt, the Crimson Tide played well in spurts, Grant said, but the overall performance was a bit of a regression. Alabama built a big, second-half lead thanks to its energy and aggressiveness but nearly saw it disappear because of a lack of both throughout the majority of the final 20 minutes.

Retin Obasohan's

step-back 3-pointer with 1:25 to play ultimately provided enough cushion to stifle any late-game drama.

Trevor Releford

scored 16,

Shannon Hale

and

Obasohan each had 15 and

Levi Randolph

added 12 for the Crimson Tide, which moved back to .500 (7-7, 1-0 SEC) with its second straight win.

And from that standpoint, Grant will certainly take it.

But...

"Certainly you would always rather learn your lessons through winning rather than learn the lessons through losing," said Grant, repeatedly adding that he'd need to watch the film before he offered a final judgment.

"On that part, yeah, I'm happy with the win but at the end of the day it's about how our team plays. I felt like there's been games that we've lost when I look at it and I say we're getting better even though we didn't win. Tonight, I felt like in some areas looking at it live, we may have regressed a little bit.

"We've got to make sure we're doing the things we need to do to progress as a team."

The final four minutes of the first half and the first four of the second is what Alabama strives to play for a full game.

A defense-inspired barrage helped Alabama build a 10-point halftime lead, as the Crimson Tide harassed the Commodores, who were without leading scorer

Eric McClellan

for unspecified reasons and down to seven scholarship players, into numerous turnovers and didn't allow a field goal for the final 6:58.

The energy burst carried over to the second half, and Alabama's lead grew to 16 on a Randolph jumper with 16:24 remaining. And then the onslaught abruptly stopped.

At 13:27, Grant removed Randolph, Hale, Obasohan and center

Carl Engstrom

from the game. Obasohan replaced Releford three minutes later.

Grant placed the blame on himself for the ineffective mass substitution.

"The energy we had wasn't the same," he said.

Vanderbilt (8-5, 0-1) slowly chipped away at the lead before a quick, 9-0 spurt cut the lead down to 3 points with 3:20 to play. Two free throws from

Rod Odom

, who led all scorers with 20, answered a

Nick Jacobs'

jumper to keep the game at one possession with 2:26 remaining.

"We had an opportunity to hit first and we kind of startled them with our pressure," Obasohan said. "In the second half we had a lapse of energy. We weren't as aggressive as we were in the first half and that gave them an opportunity to get back in the game."

Said Grant: "It was almost like it was two or three different games within one tonight."

Obasohan saved a possession that looked like it was going nowhere with his second 3-pointer of the night, giving Alabama a 6-point lead with 1:25 to play. A stop at the other end followed by two Releford free throws clinched it.

"I really just had to make a play," Obasohan said. "I was fortunate the guy was sagging off on me and I did what coach told me and took the open shot."