Postgame Thread: Alabama falls to Gonzaga

Alabama rolled into Las Vegas tonight ready to face an excellent Gonzaga squad, and things didn’t go so well as the Zags pulled away late for a 95-85 victory.

We got some tough injury news before the game, as Latrell Wrightsell Jr. was ruled out for the Players’ Era tournament with a right leg ailment. The saving grace is that it is not the same leg that he missed most of last season with, and it is apparently a minor injury.

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As far as the game goes, it lived up to the billing from the opening tip. Both teams were playing hard on both ends of the court with a sense of urgency that felt like yet another March game in November. Neither team was shooting the ball well from three early on, but the action in the paint was quite exciting and both squads prefer a frenetic pace. Birthday boy Labaron Philon led the way for Alabama, slicing and dicing his way to 13 points on 62% shooting, while star big man Braden Huff led the Zags with 12.

Both teams were sloppy with the ball in the first half, combining for 15 turnovers, and Gonzaga predictably won the rebounding battle, particularly on the offensive end. Fortunately for Alabama, the Zags left several points at the foul line and thus took only a three point lead into the break at 45-42.

The second half started much like the first, Philon carrying the offense for Alabama and Gonzaga hitting the offensive glass. At the 17 minute mark it was 53-48 Zags, with Philon contributing all six of Alabama’s points. The Zags heated up to open it up to nine at 16 minutes, and the game felt as if it could get away from the Tide.

On cue, Alabama cranked up some pressure on defense and went on a 10-0 run of their own, capped off by a nice shooter’s roll three from freshman London Jemison to put the Tide back in front at 61-60 with eleven minutes left. It was broken by a Zags three pointer, after which Aiden Sherrell blew a wide open layup that led to a runout on the other end.

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Philon kept battling, but ball movement…

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Publish date : 2025-11-25 04:54:00

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