NEW YORK – Labaron Philon scored 25 points and No. 15 Alabama passed an early season nonconference test with a 103-96 victory over fifth-ranked St. John’s on Saturday afternoon.

Philon helped Alabama clinch the win with a deep three-pointer for a 98-88 lead with two minutes remaining. He shot 10 of 17 from the field in his second straight strong performance as the Crimson Tide took control late in the first half, withstood a comeback and executed in the final minutes.

Aden Holloway added 21 points after sitting out the season opener with a wrist injury as Alabama (2-0) shot 48.1%. Taylor Bowen Bol and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. contributed 17 points each for Alabama, which impressively started a run of four straight games against ranked teams. They will face top-ranked Purdue, No. 17 Illinois and No. 21 Gonzaga after Saturday.

Holloway and Wrightsell went a combined 15-of-35 from the floor and hit six of Alabama’s 11 three-pointers in the team’s first appearance at Madison Square Garden since 2013-14.

Zuby Ejiofor scored 27 points for the Red Storm (1-1), who had a 12-game winning streak at MSG stopped. Bryce Hopkins added 19 and Ian Jackson finished with 14 as St. John’s shot 49.2% but missed 12 free throws.

Alabama ended the first half by outscoring St. John’s 16-6 and took a 53-44 halftime lead on a three-pointer by Holloway at the buzzer. The Crimson Tide held a 10-point lead early in the second and St. John’s stormed back, getting an 81-80 lead on a three-pointer by Joson Sanon with 8:13 left.

NO. 2 HOUSTON 65,

TOWSON 48

HOUSTON – Kingston Flemings scored 20 points, Joseph Tugler added 15 points and 8 rebounds and No. 2 Houston defeated Towson.

Flemings finished 8 of 10 from the field, while Tugler shot 7 of 14. Houston (2-0) shot 42%. Milos Uzan had 11 points and six assists for the Cougars, who forced 18 turnovers and converted them into 22 points.

Jack Doumbia had 16 points and 7 rebounds, Dylan Williamson added 13 points and Tyler Tejada finished with 11 points and 8 rebounds for Towson (1-1).

Towson stayed with Houston for most of the game but several long scoreless stretches in the first and second halves were too much.

Leading 51-46 with nine minutes left, Houston went on a 14-0 run with just under a minute remaining on a jumper by Chris Cenac Jr.

Houston used a 17-0 run over a 7 1/2-minute stretch of the first half to open up a 19-5 lead on Mercy Miller’s three-pointer with 10:42 remaining, but the Tigers clawed back to cut the lead to 30-26 on a layup by Tejada with a minute left in the half. The Cougars led 33-26 at halftime.

NO. 6 DUKE 95,

WESTERN CAROLINA 54

DURHAM, N.C. – Freshman forward Cameron Boozer had 25 points in his first regular-season home game as sixth-ranked Duke beat Western Carolina.

The 6-9, 250-pounder added 8 rebounds, 5 assists and a block in 23 minutes for the Blue Devils (2-0), who opened the season Tuesday with a home-state win against Texas in Charlotte, N.C., in the first-ever Dick Vitale Invitational. The preseason ACC favorite had no trouble against a team picked to finish seventh in the Southern Conference, pushing its lead to double figures after just seven minutes and leading by 24 at halftime.

Boozer’s brother, fellow freshman Cayden, had 14 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists as 1 of 4 Blue Devils to score in double figures. Patrick Ngongba II and Maliq Brown each added 10 points.

The Blue Devils shot 46.9% and made 25 of 33 free throws, though they made just 10 of 32 (31.3%) three-pointers.

Julien Soumaoro had 14 points and four three-pointers to lead the Catamounts (0-2). Western Carolina missed 18 of its first 20 shots and 26 of its first 31 in a first half that included a scoreless drought of nearly seven minutes.

Western Carolina shot just 30.6% for the game, missing 22 of 26 three-point tries.

NO. 18 TENNESSEE 95,

NORTHERN KENTUCKY 56

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Nate Ament scored 23 points to lead No. 18 Tennessee to a victory over Northern Kentucky.

Ja’Kobi Gillespie added 20 points and J.P. Estrella came off the bench to finish with 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Volunteers (2-0). Felix Okpara had 11 rebounds.

Donovan Oday and Kael Robinson each scored 14 points for the Norse (1-1).

Ament, a 6-10 former 5-star freshman who had Arkansas among his finalists, was 9 for 10 from the free-throw line. He also had eight rebounds and five assists.

After Monday’s win over Mercer, in which the Volunteers committed 19 turnovers, Coach Rick Barnes put a special emphasis on reducing that number. They had 12 against Northern Kentucky.

STATE MEN

UCA 110, CHAMPION CHRISTIAN 63

Ty Robinson scored 17 points to lead five University of Central Arkansas players in double figures for the team’s first victory of the season over Champion Christian at the Farris Center in Conway. The Bears opened with a 94-54 loss Monday in its opener against No. 25 North Carolina, which knocked off No. 19 Kansas 87-74 on Friday.

Robinson shot 5 of 10 from the field, including 4 of 8 from three-point range, and contributed 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Camren Hunter scored 13 points, Cole McCormick tallied 12 and Rashad Bolden netted 11 for UCA (1-1). Malchiah Marable, the lone starter who didn’t reach double figures, scored eight points in seven minutes on 4-of-4 shooting.

Fifteen Bears saw action, 13 scored at least three points and none played more than 19 minutes. Truman Byrne tallied 10 of UCA’s 49 bench points, while Javion Guy-King, Parker Applegate and Tyler Lee scored seven each.

Cam Parker scored a game-high 18 points for Champion Christian (2-1), which opened the season with wins against Pensacola Christian and Trinity Baptist College at the PCC Classic in Pensacola, Fla. Parker shot 6 of 14 from the field, including 5 of 12 on three-pointers, and Fred’Travious Benjamin put up 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting.

UCA finished 42 of 80 (52.5%) from the field, 17 of 46 (37%) from three-point range and 9 of 12 (75%) on free throws. It held a 57-29 rebounding advantage and scored 27 points off 16 turnovers. Champion Christian shot 24 of 71 (33.8%) from the field, 12 of 44 (27.3%) on three-pointers and 3 of 4 (75%) from the free-throw line.

Alabama forward Amari Allen (5) and teammates celebrate a basket near the end of the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against St. John’s, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

Alabama guard Davion Hannah (4), defended by St. John’s forward Rubén Prey (17), attempts a dunk during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

St. John’s forward Zuby Ejiofor (24) lays on the court after a fall during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Alabama, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

St. John’s forward Zuby Ejiofor (24) dunks during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Alabama, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)