Labaron Philon, Aden Holloway fuel massive Alabama win over No. 5 St. John’s
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Labaron Philon and Aden Holloway were everywhere for Alabama during the Crimson Tide’s elite win over No. 5 St. John’s on Saturday. The Tide and Red Storm gave fans an excellent, competitive show of the first Saturday slate of the season, but Alabama ultimately came out on top 103-96.
The Crimson Tide guard duo was absolutely crucial for the Tide in what felt like an Elite 8 atmosphere at Madison Square Garden. Let’s start with Philon, who finished with a game-high 25 points on 10-17 shooting while turning it over just once.
But don’t discredit Holloway’s afternoon, either. The junior Alabama guard added 21 points on 9-18 shooting from the field, and that’s despite being unusually cold from 3. In what was a back-and-forth 2nd half, Holloway’s late push gave Alabama a cushion that Philon took and ran with in the final minutes.
Holloway also hit this 3 as the first half expired, giving Alabama some momentum heading to the locker room:
St. John’s is a 2nd weekend NCAA Tournament squad at minimum, folks. If it isn’t obvious already, the guard play for this Alabama team is very, very real.
Alabama is more than a few elite guards, too. We have to mention Taylor Bol Bowen’s effort on both ends, especially in the second half. The 6-10 Florida State transfer is an intriguing prospect and had a huge sequence with around 7 minutes remaining in the game, giving Alabama a lead on one end and blocking a St. John’s attempt at the rim on the other. Bol Bowen finished with 17 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals.
We’ll learn more about the Crimson Tide across their next 3 games, which just has to be the toughest stretch any team plays this season: Purdue, at Illinois and vs. Gonzaga in Las Vegas.
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
