Alabama 13-Point First Half Comeback Not Enough to Conquer Commodores

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Alabama Crimson Tide fell in its second game of SEC play on the road against the Vanderbilt Commodores, with foul trouble and injuries keeping the Crimson Tide at bay against Vanderbilt despite a 13-point comeback in the first half to tie the game at halftime.

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Alabama big man Aiden Sherrell warmed up and looked potentially available for Alabama after being listed as a game-time decision on Wednesday night after suffering a knee injury in the first half of Alabama's victory over Kentucky, but the big man didn't play any minutes in the Tide's 96-90 loss to Vanderbilt, and the lack of physicality showed, with the Commodores scoring 36 points in the paint.

A bigger storyline was the absence of Labaron Philon in the second half. Philon played 16 minutes in the first half, scoring 15 points for the Crimson Tide and helping orchestrate Alabama's 13-point comeback in the first half to tie the game at halftime. Philon played just four minutes in the second half and spent much of the evening in the Alabama locker room. He returned to the Crimson Tide's bench with three minutes left in the contest, flexing both of his knees, but did not return. Philon finished with 18 points for the Tide, but his status will now be in question for Alabama's matchup with Texas on Saturday.

The shots for the Crimson Tide weren't falling in Memorial Gymnasium, with Alabama making just 9-39 threes and 26-69 shots from the floor. Alabama made a handful of shots late to make the game competitive again, but the Tide had four players in foul trouble and a fifth player (Keitenn Bristow) fouled out with 5:11 left in the contest.

One bright spot on the evening was freshman forward Amari Allen, who secured his third career double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds in the loss. His 25 points are the highest he's scored in his short collegiate career, topping the 20 he scored against the Clemson Tigers in a 90-84 victory on December 3. Aden Holloway, despite his three-point shot not falling at the clip he is used to, also scored 22 points in the loss, shooting 9-18 from the floor and 3-7 from deep.

The Crimson Tide falls to 11-4 and 1-1 in SEC play after Wednesday night's loss to Vanderbilt. The Crimson Tide's next game will come on Saturday, January 10, when the Crimson Tide hosts the Texas Longhorns.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.