Philon scores 24 as No. 11 Alabama beats No. 8 Illinois 90-86
[November 20, 2025]
By ANDREW SELIGMAN
CHICAGO (AP) — Labaron Philon scored 24 points, and No.
11 Alabama beat eighth-ranked Illinois 90-86 at the United Center on
Wednesday night.
Philon made three 3-pointers and had five assists. Taylor Bol Bowen
scored 12 and Aden Holloway finished with 11 points, helping the Crimson
Tide (3-1) squeeze out a tight win in their third straight game against
a top-10 team. They bounced back from a loss to Purdue that came on the
heels of a victory over St. John’s at Madison Square Garden, though they
sure got all they could handle in this one. |
Illinois guard Andrej Stojakovic, right, drives to the basket against
Alabama forward Aiden Sherrell, left, and guard Labaron Philon during
the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Chicago, Wednesday,
Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) |
|
Andrej Stojakovic led Illinois (4-1) with 26 points, and Kylan
Boswell had 22.
Alabama was clinging to a 79-76 lead when Philon pulled up for a
3 with 1:15 remaining, but Illinois stayed in it, with Boswell
responding with a three-point play.
After Philon made a jumper in the paint, Boswell broke for a
layup that cut it to 84-81 with 39 seconds remaining. Alabama’s
Amari Allen got trapped on the inbounds, leading to a timeout,
and then hit 1 of 2 free throws to make it a four-point game
with 27 seconds left.
It was 85-82 with 12 seconds remaining when Keitenn Bristow made
two free throws for Alabama. Ben Humrichous nailed a 3 for
Illinois with eight seconds left, but the Crimson Tide hung on.
Houston Mallette sealed the win with two foul shots in the final
seconds.
The Illini, who played at least one regular-season game at the
United Center from 1994 through 2018, were making their first
appearance at the arena since the 2023 Big Ten Tournament. They
got the Bulls treatment during pregame introductions, with
"Sirius” by the Alan Parsons Project blasting through the arena.
The Illini had the crowd roaring midway through the half when
Humrichous blocked a layup by Philon and Stojakovic, the son of
former Sacramento Kings star Peja Stojakovic, threw down a
thunderous dunk on the break.
Up next
Alabama: Faces No. 13 Gonzaga in Las Vegas on Monday.
Illinois: Hosts Long Island on Saturday.
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