March Madness in Tampa: Alabama, Texas Tech stave off challengers
There was no madness in the matinee. There were moments of magic, but they proved fleeting.
Alabama forward Taylor Bol Bowen, left, attempts to wrestle the ball away from Hofstra's Biggie Patterson during the second half of the team's first-round NCAA Tournament game Friday in Tampa. ©Dirk Shadd There was no madness in the matinee. There were moments of magic, but they proved fleeting.
Hofstra, a school of about 10,000 from Long Island making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2001, had the most compelling short-lived stretch Friday at Benchmark International Arena. After No. 4 Alabama took an early 8-2 lead, the No.
13 Pride momentarily stunned the Crimson Tide as they responded with a 26-10 run to take a 28-18 lead. Hofstra’s sizable support section grew raucous as the Pride poured it on from beyond the arc and put Alabama (24-9), which was without suspended second-leading scorer Aden Holloway, on upset watch. But behind standout performances from Labaron Philon, Aiden Sherrell and Taylor Bol Bowen, Alabama course corrected and cruised their way to a 90-70 victory.
“(Hofstra) came in expecting to win, and you could tell that,” said Alabama coach Nate Oats. “I think they got frustrated a little late. ” By halftime, Alabama was back ahead by two.
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