11/19/25 11:03:00
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11/19 23:01 CST Philon scores 24 as No. 11 Alabama beats No. 8 Illinois 90-86
Philon scores 24 as No. 11 Alabama beats No. 8 Illinois 90-86
By ANDREW SELIGMAN
AP Sports Writer
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.
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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