TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – In a matchup that served as a tune-up for tougher tests ahead, the No. 15 Alabama Crimson Tide methodically dismantled the North Dakota Fighting Hawks, 91-62, on Monday night inside Coleman Coliseum.
The Crimson Tide, playing without key guards Aden Holloway (wrist), Latrell Wrightsell Jr. (finger) and transfer forward Keitenn Bristow (ankle), leaned on a balanced attack and suffocating rebounding edge to pull away early. Alabama outrebounded North Dakota 46-26, converting second-chance opportunities into a 19-8 advantage in points off those boards, while limiting the visitors to 38.7% shooting from the field.
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The game tipped off with Alabama asserting control from the opening possession, as freshman forward Taylor Bol Bowen sliced through for a layup off a crisp pass from Labaron Philon Jr. North Dakota responded with poise, using a spurt anchored by Garrett Anderson’s mid-range jumper to knot the score at 4-4 midway through the first media timeout. But Philon, Alabama’s dynamic sophomore guard, quickly ignited the Tide’s offense, draining three early threes and dishing two assists to fuel a 10-2 run that pushed the lead to 14-6.
Philon’s first-half dominance set the tone, as he tallied 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting and seven assists, accounting for or creating 32 of Alabama’s 48 first-half points. A pivotal sequence came at the 11:15 mark of the opening frame, when the Tide embarked on a 19-5 surge over six minutes, blending Philon’s pull-up jumper with Amari Allen’s transition dunk and Houston Mallette’s corner three. This stretch, capped by Aiden Sherrell’s monster block on Eli King’s drive, ballooned Alabama’s advantage to 33-16 and effectively sapped North Dakota’s momentum.
North Dakota, making its first trip to Tuscaloosa since joining Division I in 2007, showed resilience through Anderson, who led the visitors with 13 points on 6-of-17 shooting, including a crafty hesitation pull-up that briefly halted Alabama’s surge. The Fighting Hawks’ backcourt duo of Anderson and King combined for 24 points, with King adding 11 via his 4-of-8 shooting, but turnovers plagued their efforts—North Dakota coughed up 10 possessions, leading to 18 Alabama points. Coach Paul Mills’ squad hung tough on the glass early, snagging five offensive rebounds in the first 10 minutes, but couldn’t convert, scoring just four second-chance points.
Alabama’s freshmen stepped up amid the injuries, with Allen delivering a versatile debut: 12 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals and a block in 32 minutes. His blue-collar effort shone in a second-quarter sequence where he stripped Anderson clean, sprinted coast-to-coast for a layup and drew a charge on the ensuing possession, earning him the team’s Hard Hat award. “Amari did some really good things. Shoot, his stat line was pretty good,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said postgame. “On the night, he was able to get 12-7-5 in only one turnover, led the team in plus-minus with a plus-30.”
London Jemison, another freshman forward, contributed 12 points off the bench, including a timely three-pointer that extended Alabama’s lead to 20 late in the half. His hustle on the offensive glass—snaring two boards—aligned with the Tide’s emphasis on second-chance points, as Jemison’s tip-in off a Mallette miss kept the pressure on. Davion Hannah rounded out the freshmen’s impact with nine points, three rebounds and two assists in limited minutes, highlighted by a thunderous one-handed dunk that electrified the 13,474 in attendance and pushed the lead to 48-32 at intermission.
Mallette, Alabama’s senior guard, added 15 points on an efficient 4-of-6 shooting, with four offensive rebounds and four defensive rebounds, underscoring his relentless motor. His four boards were part of Alabama’s 11 offensive rebounds in the first half alone, converting to 10 points. “He plays so hard. I told our team in the locker room afterward, some of you guys are struggling to go get offensive rebounds,” Oats noted. “Go look at Houston, study Houston’s film. He goes every time. I mean, he had four O-boards.”
Defensively, Sherrell anchored the paint with four blocks, including a chase-down swat on a North Dakota fast break that preserved a 39-24 edge with four minutes left in the half. The 7-foot freshman finished with eight points and three rebounds, his length disrupting the Fighting Hawks’ interior scoring to just 30 points in the paint. North Dakota’s bench provided an occasional spark throughout the game, with four players chipping in at least six points each, but the group shot 10-of-30 from the field, and was unable to match Alabama’s depth.
The second half unfolded as a controlled clinic for Alabama, which opened a 21-point window by the first media timeout and never looked back. A 13-8 scoring edge in the frame featured balanced contributions, with Philon closing on a career-high 22 points and eight assists—his final tally including a no-look dish to Jemison for a corner three. The Tide’s 22 assists on 31 made field goals highlighted their ball movement, though 15 turnovers remain a point of emphasis after averaging that mark across exhibitions and this opener.
The Fighting Hawks’ 11 steals forced eight Tide turnovers, but they converted just 10 points off those, underscoring Alabama’s poise under pressure. “We’ve got way too many turnovers,” Oats admitted. “Our two exhibitions and all this one, I think we’re averaging 15 turnovers a game.”
Philon’s growth as a facilitator and scorer drew praise from Oats, who sees All-SEC potential if defensive lapses improve. “Labaron ended up with a career-high, which I think will probably get broken here pretty soon,” the coach said. “But I thought he had some really good plays, showed what he’s capable of.”For North Dakota, Anderson’s poise in isolation sets offered glimpses of mid-major toughness, but the 29-point defeat exposed matchup gaps against SEC athleticism.
Alabama’s 7-0 edge in blocks and 8-1 in fast-break points (12-3 scoring) painted a picture of transitional dominance, with the Tide converting 11-of-25 from three (44%) while holding North Dakota to 6-of-22 (27.3%). Oats emphasized the win’s silver lining for his young core: “I thought it was a good win to start with. We were able to get those freshmen some quality minutes… I thought London, Davion and Amari really helped getting them as many minutes as we could.”
Looking ahead, Alabama faces a gauntlet beginning Saturday, November 8, against St. John’s at Madison Square Garden in New York City (12 p.m. ET). The game airs on FS1, with streaming available via the Fox Sports app and live radio coverage on the Crimson Tide Sports Network (98.5 FM in Tuscaloosa, statewide affiliates, and SiriusXM channel 83). This neutral-site clash tips off a stretch including Purdue, Illinois and Gonzaga, where Oats’ squad will need to sharpen its edge. “We’re going to have to play significantly better Saturday than we did tonight,” Oats said. “But we will.”