The Alabama Crimson Tide men’s basketball team won against the Hofstra Pride, 90-70, on March 20 at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa. Labaron Philon Jr. led Alabama with a game-high 29 points, including 21 in the second half, helping the No. 4 seed advance to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament.
This victory is significant as it marks the sixth time this season that Alabama has come back from a double-digit deficit to win. The team trailed by as many as ten points in the first half before going on a decisive run to take control of the game.
Philon was one of five Alabama players who scored in double figures. Aiden Sherrell recorded his third double-double of the year with 15 points and 15 rebounds, while Taylor Bol Bowen added another 15 points. Amari Allan and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. each contributed 11 points. For Hofstra, Preston Edmead led with 24 points and Cruz Davis added 14.
Head coach Nate Oats said after the game, “I give Hofstra a ton of credit. They are a very good team that came ready to play… I thought our start to the second half was great… We came out offensively, and I thought we did pretty well, better than in the first half.” Oats also praised individual performances: “Aiden Sherrell had 15 and 15, which is not easy to do… Taylor’s energy was great… Labaron played like he didn’t want to go home and was pushing for a triple-double.” He concluded, “A lot of good things from a lot of our guys, and it’s March. You either win or go home, and we really figured out how to win here in the second half and face a tough team in Texas Tech on Sunday.”
With this win, Alabama will next play No. 5 seed Texas Tech on Sunday in the Round of 32. Details about game time and television coverage will be announced later.
