Alabama
0-0,0-0SEC
Florida State
0-0,0-0ACC
No. 15 Alabama Defeats Florida State, 109-105, to Begin Preseason Play
10/16/2025 10:24:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Crimson Tide were led by Labaron Philon’s 28 points
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The No. 15 Alabama men's basketball team opened the 2025-26 season with an exhibition victory over Florida State, 109-105, in front of a sold-out crowd at Boutwell Auditorium.
The Crimson Tide had five players score in double figures, including two surpassing the 20-point mark in Labaron Philon (28 points) and Aden Holloway (20 points). Alabama newcomer Taylor Bol Bowen shined as well, dropping 14 points against his former Seminole team and finished as the Tide's third-leading scorer.
Florida State had four starters combine for 71 points, led by Robert McCray V's 26 points, off 8-for-16 shooting from the field.
Head Coach Nate Oats Postgame Comments
"It's good to play somebody else. Florida State's going to be remarkably improved from last year. A lot of respect for (head coach) Luke (Loucks) and his staff – they came in and put a pretty good roster together. Their play style is similar to ours; they go up and down. They exposed us in different ways which is good. We want to play good teams."
Team Stats
- The Crimson Tide had 57 points from six newcomers on the squad
- Alabama totaled 13 offensive rebounds, leading to 18 second chance points
- The bench unit contributed 30 points for Nate Oats' squad, with Keitenn Bristow accounting for 13
- As a team, Alabama shot 31-of-62 (50 percent) from the field, 12-of-34 (35 percent) from three and 35-of-49 (71 percent) from the charity stripe
- Houston Mallette won the Hard Hat award, recording 13 points, seven rebounds and two assists
First Half
- After going down by double-digits early, Alabama went on an 18-4 run across 5:22 to take a 29-25 lead at the third media timeout
- The Crimson Tide held Florida State scoreless for 4:43, taking a 35-25 lead at the 6:04 mark
- The Seminoles closed the half on a 16-7 run to take a one-point lead at the break (48-47)
- Taylor Bol Bowen led the team in scoring in the half with 11 points, burying a pair of three-pointers
- Alabama starters combined for 33 points in the opening stanza
- The Crimson Tide shot 13-of-27 (48 percent) from the field and 6-of-15 (40 percent) from deep in the first half
Second Half
- Alabama had seven different scorers through the first 6:54 of the half
- After trailing by seven points midway through the frame, a big three-pointer by Houston Mallette sparked an 11-4 run as the Crimson Tide took a retook the lead, 95-91, at the 3:59 mark
- A quick 7-1 run after the final media timeout put Alabama past the century mark with a double-digit lead with just under three minutes to go (102-92)
- Alabama led for the final 5:22 of the matchup with Philon contributing 10 points across the span
- Labaron Philon led the team in scoring in the half with 19 points, shooting 6-for-8 from the field and sinking all six of his free throw attempts
Up Next
- Alabama will play its final exhibition game on Sunday, Oct. 26, on the road at Furman
- Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. CT at Timmons Arena and can be seen on ESPN+
