Alabama Overcomes Poor Second Half to Defeat Clemson

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama Crimson Tide returned home after almost a month away from Coleman Coliseum for the SEC/ACC challenge, where the Crimson Tide was slated to face the Clemson Tigers. It’s a team Alabama has faced in recent history, with the Crimson Tide splitting two matchups in the 2023-24 men’s basketball season. Clemson defeated Alabama in Coleman Coliseum in the 2023 SEC/ACC men’s basketball challenge, but Alabama won the game that mattered, defeating Clemson in the Elite Eight to go to the program’s first-ever Final Four.

Get our free mobile app

It was all Alabama early and often against the Clemson Tigers, as the Crimson Tide held up its end of the bargain in the SEC/ACC challenge, defeating the Clemson Tigers 90-84. Here’s how it happened.

In the first half, the Crimson Tide jumped out to a commanding 19-point lead midway through the first half, and despite letting Clemson work its way back into the game, Alabama would hold a 45-30 lead over Clemson, thanks to multiple shooters hitting good looks from three-point range in the first half. Alabama shot 44.4% from three in the first half, with Labaron Philon, Taylor Bol Bowen, and London Jemison all hitting multiple three-point shots. Philon led the Crimson Tide in scoring in the first half with 12 points while shooting 4-5 from the floor and 2-2 from three. Alabama as a whole shot 50% from the floor in the first half, and controlled the boards with a 24-19 advantage over Clemson, led by Amari Allen with seven first-half rebounds. Clemson is still a good basketball team, however, so Alabama couldn’t take its foot off the gas in the second half of the matchup.

The second half saw Clemson claw its way back into the game, as Alabama watched its significant halftime lead dwindle consistently as Labaron Philon and Aiden Sherrill sat on the bench while the Tide’s players on the floor shot poorly. The Crimson Tide found itself down two points, before a massive three-point shot by freshman London Jemison was paired with a defensive stop by Amari Allen, segueing into a Houston Mallette three that exploded a dumbfounded Coleman Coliseum crowd out of their seats, forcing Clemson to take a timeout. The game was by no means over, but Alabama finally looked alive in the second half, where Clemson was outscoring the Crimson Tide 36-25 with 7:28 left in the contest.

Alabama again found itself trailing 83-81 with two minutes and change left, making Alabama fans scratch their head at how the Crimson Tide blew the lead it did, and looked unable to compete on the scoreboard in the second half. Freshman forward Amari Allen, making his first career start, joined Labaron Philon in the 20-point club with a massive bucket to give Alabama a five-point lead with just one minute left in the game, and the Crimson Tide took possession of the ball. Alabama would survive a final comeback attempt from Clemson, that included a defensive stand for the Crimson Tide, to hang on and defeat the Tigers.

Alabama moves to 6-2 on the season with its victory over Clemson. Alabama will return to Coleman Coliseum on Sunday, December 7, to take on UTSA at 1:00 p.m. CT.

Alabama Stat Leaders

Points: Labaron Philon - 29 points
Assists: Amari Allen - 4 assists
Rebounds: Amari Allen - 11 assists

Alabama Players With Double-Digit Points

Labaron Philon - 29 points
Amari Allen - 20 points
London Jemison - 13 points
Taylor Bol Bowen - 11 points

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_.