No. 18 Alabama men’s basketball ended its two-game skid with a commanding 97-82 road victory, despite trailing by 14 points early over Mississippi State on Tuesday.
Star guard Labaron Philon Jr. notched a career high of 32 points in the win and shot 10/14 from the field. The performance came after he shot 0/5 from the 3-point range and turned the ball over five times in the Crimson Tide’s 92-88 loss to Texas on Saturday.
“I thought he was super active on the defensive end and then just made the right plays,” head coach Nate Oats said of Philon postgame.
Center Aiden Sherrell — alongside Philon — also recorded a new career high, with 22 points on 5/11 shooting.
“My teammates were finding me,” Sherrell said. “It feels great to be able to help them contribute on the scoring side and defensively.”
The team was without four scholarship players, including forward Taylor Bol Bowen, who recorded a double-double on Saturday. Oats said that Bol Bowen wanted to play on Tuesday, but trainer Clarke Holter did not clear him to play due to a swollen hand.
Alabama added to the adversity it was facing entering the contest when it opened the game as it did in its last two contests — slowly.
Mississippi State controlled the early portion of the first half and led by 14 points with 8:13 left to play. It outrebounded Alabama 20-9 in the opening 12:02 of action and held the Crimson Tide to a measly 3/12 from the field
Despite the double-digit lead, Alabama refused to die, and later came back in controlling fashion.
A commanding 12-3 run by Alabama — which also saw the Crimson Tide out-rebound the Bulldogs 9-0 — flipped the game on its head. Sherrell tied the game up at 32 apiece after he converted an and-one opportunity.
“Our guys didn’t quit,” Oats said of the first-half comeback. “They just stayed with it.”
The Crimson Tide entered halftime with a slim 36-34 advantage after it converted four straight free throw attempts. It also ended the half on a 2:38-long field goal drought, as the scoring ground to a halt for both squads.
After starting the second half flat against Texas, Alabama avoided a slow start after the break in Starkville.
It opened the second half with an 11-2 run that caused Bulldogs head coach Chris Jans to call a timeout with 18:04 remaining. The Crimson Tide went 3/3 from the field during that run and was powered by Sherrell, who notched 8 early second-half points.
The Crimson Tide’s lead never dipped below 10 points as it continued to find offense through Sherrell and Philon, who combined for 52 points and 34 in the second half alone. The team crossed the 90-point threshold with 3:34 left, when star guard Aden Holloway knocked down a triple from well beyond the arc.
Alabama returns to action on Saturday in Norman, Oklahoma, and will face the Oklahoma Sooners. Tipoff is set for noon CT, and the game can be streamed on SEC Network.
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