Labaron Philon Jr. takeover fuels No. 17 Alabama’s comeback win at No. 22 Tennessee after Nate Ament leaves with injury

Labaron Philon Jr. shook his head, seemingly in disbelief. No. 17 Alabama got the switch it wanted from No. 22 Tennessee with less than a minute to go Saturday night in Knoxville.

An Aiden Sherrell screen set Philon up for a 1-on-1 with Volunteers big man J.P. Estrella. Philon patiently waited for his moment to strike, first teasing a drive and then penetrating before spinning, fading and shooting over the 6-foot-11 Estrella.

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The jumper fell for the sophomore guard, who outscored the Vols 13-8 in the final six minutes, breaking a tie between the SEC rivals. A Ja’Kobi Gillespie layup that would have forced overtime didn’t fall, and Philon’s Crimson Tide celebrated a 71-69 comeback victory in a silenced Thompson-Boling Arena.

Tennessee (20-9, 10-6 SEC) had led by as many as 13 points in the second half, but Alabama (22-7, 12-4) continued its now-eight-game win streak.

To make matters worse for the Volunteers, they lost second-leading scorer Nate Ament to a right leg injury.

The standout freshman forward was rolled up on in the first half. While he returned momentarily in the second half, and even made a turnaround jumper, he quickly exited the game again.

This story is being updated.