No. 15 Alabama Crimson Tide pulled off a 103-96 road victory over No. 5 St. John's at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. Sophomore Labaron Philon led Alabama with 25 points in the win, while St. John's coach Rick Pitino praised the Crimson Tide's offensive talent postgame.
The Alabama Crimson Tide improved to 2-0 with a hard-fought 103-96 upset over St. John's, who fell to 1-1. The game took place at Madison Square Garden in New York on November 8, 2025. Alabama led 53-44 at halftime, but St. John's mounted a comeback in the second half, taking an 84-82 lead on 3-pointers from Joson Sanon and Ruben Prey. Taylor Bol Bowen responded with a 3-pointer at the 5:44 mark to give Alabama the lead for good, followed by a 17-9 closing run.
Labaron Philon starred for Alabama, scoring 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting with two 3-pointers, including a crucial 3-pointer with two minutes left that extended the lead to 98-88. Aden Holloway added 21 points on 9-of-18 shooting, while Bol Bowen contributed 17 points and nine rebounds. Latrell Wrightsell scored 17 points off the bench, and freshman Amari Allen grabbed 10 rebounds. Four Alabama players reached double figures in scoring.
St. John's Bryce Hopkins led his team with 19 points and four rebounds in 28 minutes. The Red Storm shot well from three, outscoring Alabama 33-18 from beyond the arc, but struggled with turnovers (12 vs. Alabama's 7) and one-on-one defense.
Postgame, St. John's coach Rick Pitino reflected on the loss, saying, 'They were a better basketball team than us tonight. We could not guard them off the dribble. Very few teams can. They've got excellent offensive talent.' He added, 'We lost this game at the defensive end... Alabama doesn't lose many games when you don't turn them over more than you turn the ball over.' Pitino praised Alabama's guards as 'some of the best guards in the country' and noted the game would help his young team grow, with eight new players. He concluded, 'They were the better team tonight. We played hard.'
Pitino also complimented Alabama coach Nate Oats and the team on social media after the game.