TAMPA, Fla– For a moment, Hofstra looked capable of pulling off an upset. Then Alabama took control.
No. 4 seed Alabama pulled away from No. 13 seed Hofstra for a 90-70 win to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after weathering an early scare.
Sophomore guard Labaron Philon Jr. led the Crimson Tide with 29 points, shooting 55.6 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from beyond the arc. Senior guard Latrell Wrightsell and freshman forward Amari Allen contributed 11 points apiece.
The win didn’t come easy for the Tide, as Hofstra built a double-digit lead midway through the first half, forcing Alabama to respond. The Tide steadied themselves before halftime and didn’t trail again. Hofstra surged again in the second half, but were met with a decisive 17-4 Alabama run to close the door. “All season long, we play fast,” Allen told Hoops HQ. “So I feel like that hit them. We have a lot of depth on this team, so we can sub guys in and out, just keep us fresh. And I feel like that really helped us open the scoreboard later on.”
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Despite the loss, Hofstra freshman guard Preston Edmead had a standout performance, adding six three-pointers and tallying 24 points.
“They’re tough, they’re good, they’re super talented,” Alabama head coach Nate Oats said in a postgame press conference. “Their leading scorer wasn’t a fifth-year senior who’s been there for five years. It was a freshman that’s pretty good.”
There’s been conversation around how the Tide will perform in the tournament without their second-leading scorer, junior guard Aden Holloway, and it seems this team knows how to adapt. With nearly two-dozen different starting lineups this season alone, they’re used to being uncomfortable.
“I think our team really has embraced adversity,” senior guard Houston Mallette told Hoops HQ. “The next guy just steps up, and guys always step up.”
Next up, Alabama will take on Texas Tech on Sunday, with the winner advancing to the Sweet Sixteen.
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