Alabama basketball defeated Florida State in a high-scoring and competitive exhibition game, led by the outstanding performance of the Crimson Tide’s sophomore guard Labaron Philon, who scored 28 points.
Alabama hoops faced Florida State in an exhibition game at Boutwell Memorial Stadium in Birmingham, where the two teams turned the contest into more than just a preseason matchup, displaying remarkable effort and tenacity on both sides of the floor. The Crimson Tide fans were able to see some new faces in Crimson in tonight’s Exhibition, with Alabama adding seven new players this offseason (Four transfers and three freshmen).
Alabama was led by Philon, who opted to withdraw from the 2025 NBA Draft to return for this season and play for the Tide. He has significantly improved his game, finishing the first half with nine points and making both of his perimeter shots. Last season, shooting from the three-point line wasn’t his strong suit, as he finished the 2024-2025 season with a shooting percentage of 31.5%.
The Tide also saw an outstanding performance from newcomer Taylor Bol Bowen, who played against his former team tonight, having transferred from Florida State this offseason. The Junior guard had a terrific first half against his old squad, which saw him record 11 points, two rebounds, and one steal. At the same time, the 6-foot-10 forward went two for three from beyond the arc in the first half.
In the first half of the game, both Florida State and Alabama exchanged double-digit leads. Florida State was ahead by ten points, 21-11, with 13:51 remaining in the half. However, Alabama responded and built an 11-point lead after a three-pointer by Bowen with three minutes left before halftime. Despite this, Florida State made a strong comeback, ending the half with a 16-4 run that allowed them to take a one-point lead into the second half. A key contributor to this turnaround was Kobe Magee, a senior guard who transferred from Drexel, who scored 11 points in the first half, hitting 4 of 7 from the field and 2 of 5 from beyond the arc, while also grabbing two rebounds and recording one steal.
The second half of the game mirrored the first, with both teams exchanging leads throughout. Philon continued to be just as effective in the second half as he was in the first, finishing the exhibition with 28 points. He shot 8 for 12 from the field and 3 for 4 from beyond the arc, while also recording four assists and one rebound. Joining him in scoring was Keitenn Bristow, a sophomore transfer forward from Tarleton State, who had a strong second half with seven points and three additional rebounds. By the end of the game, Bristow totaled 13 points, six rebounds, and two assists.
Unfortunately for the Tide, their defense couldn’t seem to find an answer for Florida State’s uptempo offense with Seminoles transfer senior guard Robert McCray V having an outstanding second half with the transfer guard recording 24 points in the second half to go along with his two assists to help him finish the Exhibition with 26 points while shooting 8-16 from the field and one steal.
Alabama was down by six points with over eight minutes left in the game, but quickly made a comeback thanks to several key three-pointers. Freshman guard Davion Hannah had a standout performance, scoring nine points, eight of which came in the second half. Junior guard Aden Holloway contributed significantly as well, hitting a crucial three-pointer that brought the Tide within one point with just over six minutes remaining. This was his first made three-pointer of the game. Shortly after Holloway’s shot, Houston Mallette made a big three-pointer of his own, marking his second made shot from beyond the arc and tying the game at 87 with six minutes still on the clock in the exhibition match.
After Mallette’s game-tying three-point shot, Alabama went on a 15-3 run, led by six points from Philon, four points from Mallette, and five points from Holloway. Holloway had a huge second half, scoring 12 points and finishing the exhibition with a total of 20 points. Although the Tide built a ten-point lead with 2:20 left in the half, the Seminoles made a strong comeback and narrowed the gap to just two points with 12 seconds remaining. Alabama ultimately secured a 109-105 victory thanks to some clutch free-throw shooting from Mallette, who finished the night with 13 points, hitting 7 of 8 from the free-throw line.
Alabama Players in Double DigitsLabaron Philon- 28Aden Hlloway- 20Taylor Bol Bowen- 14Houston Mallette- 13Keiten Bristow- 13Team LeadersPoints- Philon (28)Rebounds- Hannah and Mallette (7)Assists- Philon (4)Blocks- Aiden (2)
Alabama’s next exhibition game will be on October 26th against Furman, and after that, Alabama will start its regular season against North Dakota on Monday, November 3, at Coleman Coliseum.
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