E84 S1 BH Alabama Illinois Hoops win 90 86 Further Review

Tale of two halves. At halftime, 42-41 led by Illinois and the game was being played at the pace Illinois preferred. Rbs - Illin 21 to 16 edge, but Bama fought hard and was much better at rebounding. Bama never led in the 1st half. TBB had 8 pts Amari Allen had 8 pts & 5 rebs Mallette had 6 pts Philon had 5 pts Illinois Mirkovic had 10 pts & 7 rbs Stojakovic has 12 pts Wagler had 7 pts Illinois had as much as a 7 pt lead in 1st half before Bama closed the gap and keep it close up to halftime. Difference was Bama made 17 FT’s to Illinois 13. Illinois outrebounded Bama 40-38. Bama only committed 10 TO’s. Bama was led by LaBaron Philon 24 pts as he erupted in the 2nd half. Philon had 24 pts, 5 assists and only 1 TO Keitenn Bristow played a great 2nd half off the bench – 10 pts, 8 rbs, and lots of energy TBB had 12 pts, 3 rbs, and 2 blocks Holloway had 11 pts, 3 rbs, 3 assists with only 1 TO Mallette had 10 pts and 3 rbs Amari Allen had 9 pts, 11 rbs, 4 asists and 3 TO’s Bama’s 2nd half eruption allowed them to grab as much as a 9 pt lead and then Bama was able to hold off Illinois and close them out to get the 4 pt win 90-86. Bama sped up the game in the 2nd half and played at their preferred pace in the 2nd half. Bama made a commitment to rebounding as they were only outrebounded 40-38 in this game despite the height advantage Illinois had with the three 7-footer they played. High level game between two top ten teams and two teams that are final four contenders. Bama now has high quality wins over two top ten teams in St John’s and Illinois and a tough close loss to Purdue. Illinois was led by Andrej Stojakovic with 26 pts – son of NBA all-star Peja and he showed out as a future NBA player. Chip off the old block for sure Kylan Boswell also had a strong game with 22 pt, 4 rbs, 7 assists and only 1 TO Bama was able to limit Illinois other talented players as no one else on the roster scored more than 11 points. Great win by Bama and great commitment to playing tough defense and to blocking out and rebounding on the defensive end of the court. Bristow and Amari Allen led the rebounding effort by Bama which was a critical factor in Bama winning this game. Highlights LaBaron Philon’s 2nd half explosion Keitenn Bristow’s energy and production Better defense Better on the defensive board Great depth Issues Out of bounds plays Missed free throws Missed shots at the rim and on fast breaks Figuring out the right lineup as the starting lineup and as the closing lineup The tough schedule continues. Next up for Bama is a game against the undefeated 13th ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs on Mon, Nov