Labaron Philon Jr. scored 29 points and made a crucial late jump shot as No. 12 Alabama beat Clemson 90-84 in the ACC/SEC Challenge on Wednesday night in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
With the Crimson Tide clinging to a 1-point lead, Philon popped the jumper at 2:07 to make it 86-83. After the Tigers missed three shots on their possession, Amari Allen (20 points, 11 rebounds, four assists) banked in a short shot for an 88-83 lead that the Crimson Tide (6-2) held on to for their third straight win.
London Jemison totaled 13 points and Taylor Bol Bowen had 11 points and five boards. Houston Mallette scored 10 points while Aiden Sherrell produced five points, 10 rebounds and eight blocks.
RJ Godfrey scored 19 points for the Tigers (7-2), who lost for the first time in five games. Dillon Hunter had 13 points and Zac Foster added 12. Jake Wahlin had 11 points and six rebounds and Nick Davidson scored 11.
In their first matchup since Alabama beat Clemson 89-82 in the West Region’s Elite Eight game in March 2024, Philon was feeling fine early and racked up eight points.
Following 3-pointers from Taylor Bol Bowen and Allen, the Crimson Tide built a 16-7 lead before the first media timeout as they drained 86% of their shots (6 of 7) and made all four from distance.
Jemison canned a long shot from the corner as Alabama went 5-for-5 from long range to increase the lead to 21-8. Meanwhile, the visitors missed their first five 3-point attempts.
Alabama continued to shoot above 60% and increased the lead to 35-16 on Allen’s two free throws with 8:02 left in the first half.
Mallette’s 4-point play at the 4:39 mark matched the largest first-half lead, 43-24, but Clemson cut it to 45-30 at the break.
Philon poured in 12 points while Allen had nine and Jemison added eight for the Crimson Tide. Godfrey notched 10 points for the Tigers.
Inside of three minutes in the second half, Godfrey cut it to 49-38 with two free throws. When Foster hit a 3-pointer with 14:25 to play, he made it 50-46 as the Tigers closed in. Davidson brought them all the way back at 54-54 with a left-handed hook shot at 12:05 during a 24-9 run.
Hunter put Clemson up 62-61 with 9:53 to go as possessions became more important in the back-and-forth game. The lead changed hands six times in the final 10 minutes.
–Field Level Media
