Labaron Philon’s Career Night Sparks Alabama Scoring in Win Over Mississippi State

STARKVILLE, Miss. - The Crimson Tide traveled to "The Hump" in Starkville, Mississippi, looking to end its two-game skid in SEC play following a pair of losses to Vanderbilt on the road and Texas at home. Alabama's date with its closest neighbor in the SEC, Mississippi State, was the first of a two-game road stretch for the Crimson Tide before Alabama returned home to take on the Tennessee Volunteers, who defeated Texas A&M in Knoxville in double overtime on Tuesday night. The Bulldogs' known scoring threat was still roaming the court in Starkville, with Alabama slated to take on Josh Hubbard, who dropped 59 combined points in two matchups against the Crimson Tide a season ago.

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Hubbard got 23 points, but he was no match for Alabama, which defeated Mississippi State 97-82 on Tuesday night.

A battered lineup and a slow start for the Crimson Tide had Alabama fans nervous on Tuesday night, with the Tide trailing by as many as 14 points in the first half, but Alabama turned it on midway through the first half, going on a 12-2 run in the final seven minutes of the first half to claim a halftime lead. Sophomores Labaron Philon and Aiden Sherrell were leaned on heavily during Alabama's game-changing run, with Philon scoring 12 in the first half and Sherrell scoring eight, while Philon was the Tide's leading three-point shooter through the first 20 minutes (2-3 from three-point range).

The Crimson Tide continued its strong run in the second half, outscoring Mississippi State 61-48 in the second half, on the back of Labaron Philon's first 30-point performance of his career. Philon wasn't the only one scoring in double digits, with Aiden Sherrell (22 points), Aden Holloway (15 points), and Amari Allen (13 points) joining him. Allen secured his fourth career double-double, with 13 rebounds as well.

The Tide came into the night with just eight scholarship players available, with Taylor Bol Bowen, Latrell Wrightsell Jr., Davion Hannah, Keitenn Bristow, and Collins Onyejiaka unavailable for the Tuesday night matchup in Starkville. Despite the tight rotation from Nate Oats' squad, Alabama out-rebounded Mississippi State 47-43.

The Crimson Tide improves to 12-5 (2-2 in SEC play) after Tuesday night's victory. The Tide's next game will come on Saturday, January 17, when it travels to Norman, Oklahoma, to take on the Sooners.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.