Facing a two-point deficit with 4.7 seconds remaining, KT Harrell and Auburn had their first road victory of the season within sight Saturday night in Tuscaloosa.
Head coach Bruce Pearl called timeout after Alabama's Rodney Cooper hit a go-ahead layup, and drew up a play he loves just for the occasion.
But Harrell and the Tigers would never see a clean chance after Tahj Shamsid-Deen lost control of the ball on the final play, sealing a 57-55 defeat and extending the Tigers' road winless streak.
"We got it to Tahj, and (Bowers) was supposed to set a screen on him, and he didn't get the screen set," Pearl said. "It just didn't come off. Tahj could've been a little tighter to the ball. There was too much time between when he got the ball and the screen gets there."
Alongside Harrell's 22 points, Cinmeon Bowers and Antoine Mason scored 14 points and 13 points respectively, as the trio accounted for 49 of Auburn's 55 total points in the loss.
"We play best when everybody contributes," Pearl said. "I say it all the time. Some nights, some of our guys are going to be challenged to score. And that's OK."
The Tigers (10-9, 2-4 SEC) led by as many as nine points in the second half, but Pearl said the momentum changed after Auburn turned the ball over following Ricky Tarrant's ejection.
"Coming out of the possession after the free throws, we turned it over and Randolph jumped out into that passing lane and got the crowd back into it right away," Pearl said. "I thought that was a crucial turnover."
Randolph and the Tide (13-6, 3-3 SEC) slowly chipped away at the deficit over the final five minutes, eventually taking the lead on a three-point play from the senior.
Auburn never saw the lead again, and Cooper's put-back layup with six seconds remaining ultimately sunk the Tigers.
"We put ourselves in a position to win tonight," Harrell said. "That was probably our best game on the road and we just couldn't quite finish it."
Randolph finished with 18 points and seven rebounds on the night. No other Alabama player scored more than nine points for the Tide.
The Tigers will return to the Auburn Arena Tuesday, Jan. 27 to take on the Texas A&M Aggies (13-5, 4-2 SEC). Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.
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