Labaron Philon Jr. scored a season-high 35 points and added seven assists and No. 25 Alabama overcame a 14-point deficit for a wild 117-115 double overtime victory over No. 20 Arkansas on Wednesday in a Southeastern Conference game in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Aiden Sherrell also had a season-high with 26 points and 13 rebounds and Amari Allen had 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Crimson Tide (19-7, 9-4 SEC), who have won five straight.
Darius Acuff Jr. scored 49 points, a freshman school record, while Meleek Thomas put up 24 for the Razorbacks (19-7, 9-4), who had won three in a row. Acuff and Thomas each made six 3-pointers.
Philon’s driving layup gave Alabama a 112-110 lead with 1:57 remaining in the second overtime before Acuff made three free throws after being fouled for a 113-112 lead.
Aden Holloway put the Tide back in front 114-113 with two free throws and Houston Mallette made a 3-pointer for a 117-113 edge with 51 seconds left.
Trevon Brazile’s dunk brought Arkansas within two before Acuff missed a floating layup in the final seconds.
Aden Holloway scored 15 points for the Crimson Tide, who shot 56.3% from the field and made 16 of 21 field goals in the second half to rally from a 10-point halftime deficit.
An Acuff 3-pointer with 12 seconds remaining in regulation tied it at 95, and Philon missed a 12-footer to set up overtime.
Acuff made two free throws with 1:13 left in the first overtime for a 105-103 lead before Amari Allen tied it at 105-105 on two free throws with 54.5 seconds left. Acuff missed a 17-footer to send it to a second overtime.
The Tide pulled into a tie with Arkansas and Tennessee (19-7, 9-4) for second in the SEC, two games behind No. 12 Florida (20-6, 11-2). The top four league finishers receive a double bye in the SEC tournament.
Acuff scored 22 points in the first half, Thomas had 16 and Billy Richmond III had 10 as the Razorbacks, who led by 14 earlier, took a 57-47 halftime lead while shooting 60.5% from the field.
Acuff’s fifth 3-pointer gave Arkansas a 75-62 lead before Alabama answered with a 23-4 run to take an 85-79 advantage with 5:38 remaining. Philon scored 12 points during that stretch, and the teams were never separated by more than six points after that.
Thomas, Richmond, D.J. Wagner and Nick Pringle fouled out for the Razorbacks, who were without Karter Knox (knee) and Isaiah Sealy (undisclosed). They finished the game with two reserves who had played a combined 36 minutes this season.
–Field Level Media
