CHICAGO — In Illinois’ first regular season game at the United Center in seven years, the Illini felt the love from thousands of fans dressed in orange and blue.
But Alabama sophomore guard Labaron Philon
had other plans as he took over late in a back-and-forth battle that ended with the Crimson Tide winning 90-86 on Wednesday night in Chicago as Illinois lost its first game of the season.
Doomed by late free-throw trouble and failing to get crucial stops, the Illini couldn’t quite finish the late comeback to mark their first loss of the 2025-26 season in Illinois’ first regular-season game in the Windy City since 2018.
“If they’d made their free throws, they would’ve probably won,” said Alabama head coach Nate Oats.
Despite an encouraging first half from Illinois (4-1) and strong second-half performances from guards Andrej Stojakovic and Kylan Boswell, the Illini fell apart in the second half shooting 52.9% from the free throw line and 25% from three.
“They won the game at the start of the second half,” said head coach Brad Underwood.
Illinois struggled to get a stop on defense in the last five minutes, allowing Philon to rack up nine straight points and put the Illini away. Alabama (3-1) closed out the second half with zero turnovers.
Tomislav Ivišić saw his first minutes since picking up a knee injury in practice after the win against Jackson State and international guard Mihailo Petrovic saw his first minutes as an Illini after battling with eligibility and early injuries.
The loss marks the Illini’s second straight loss to the Crimson Tide after last season’s 100-87 loss in Birmingham.
Stat Stuffers:
- Kylan Boswell: 22 points, seven assists and four rebounds.
- Andrej Stojakovic: 26 points, 11-16 FG
- David Mirkovic: 10 points, 10 rebounds and four assists
- Ben Humrichous: 11 points, six rebounds, two blocks and one steal
- LaBaron Philon (ALA): 24 points, five assists and a pull-up three from the top of the key to silence the Chicago crowd and put Alabama ahead 82-76 with a minute left.
LOOKING AHEAD
Illinois hosts Long Island Saturday, Nov. 22 at 1 p.m. as non-conference play continues.
