No. 8 Auburn stormed back from a 14-point halftime deficit but fell just short, losing at Alabama 79-75. The loss ended Auburn’s 11-game win streak and left the Tigers in a tie with the Crimson Tide atop the SEC standings.
“Disappointed in the outcome. Congratulate Alabama,” said head coach Bruce Pearl. “Really proud of my guys for bouncing back in the second half. The locker room was really positive at halftime. Guys were really encouraging each other. I thought the starters tonight played really well.”
It continued the tradition of close games between Auburn and Alabama at Coleman Coliseum, where the last three matchups have now been decided by five points or less.
The loss came despite a 25-point game from Johni Broome, who also had a season-high 14 rebounds. Broome shot 11-of-17 from the field in the game and 2-of-2 at the foul line. Sixteen of Broome’s points came in the first half – a half in which he outscored all of his teammates combined.
“Johni Broome had a real advantage on the inside tonight. We took advantage of it,” Pearl said. “But he was terrific. Played like a first-team all conference player, and he did it at both ends. He scored. He blocked shots. He switched out defensively.”
Chad Baker-Mazara was the only other Tiger to reach double figures, scoring 11 points on 3-of-8 shooting.
Though the lights went out in Coleman Coliseum, causing a 15-minute delay at the start of the game, Auburn’s offense was anything but lights out in the first half. The Tigers turned the ball over nine times before halftime, resulting in 16 Alabama points. The Tigers shot just 1-of-10 from 3-point range in the half.
Meanwhile, Alabama (13-6, 5-1 SEC) responded with a barrage of 3-pointers. The Crimson Tide shot 8-of-17 from behind the arc before the half with Rylan Griffin and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. combining to go 7-of-9 from 3-point range for Alabama in the first half. The result of Alabama’s offensive success and Auburn’s offensive struggles was a 44-30 halftime deficit for the Tigers.
Auburn (16-3, 5-1 SEC) came out of the locker room on fire. Denver Jones scored the first five points out of the locker room and Auburn had cut its deficit to five just 3:21 into the half. From then on, it was a back-and-forth battle. Though Alabama held the lead for the majority of the half, with Aubun briefly taking a 58-57 advantage, the Tigers remained at striking distance for the entire half.
“I thought we just got really good leadership. We got good chemistry, we've got great kids,” Pearl said. “We got some stops, and we had some shots. We came here to win a game. You could tell. We came here to win. We didn't, but you could tell the way we came back in the second half.”
The Tigers’ offensive surge in the second half came as the Tigers committed just two turnovers, resulting in only two Alabama points – a far cry from Auburn’s struggles taking care of the ball before halftime. The Tigers improved but still struggled from 3-point range, going 4-of-15 after the half. For the game, Auburn was just 5-of-25, or 20%, from behind the arc.
The teams’ battle carried on into the waning seconds, as Alabama held a 75-72 lead with 12 seconds to play. Baker-Mazara was fouled shooting a 3-pointer, giving him three foul shots to tie the game. He made the first two but missed the third, putting the Tigers down one. Paired with an earlier miss, Baker-Mazara missed two free throws for the first time in his Auburn career.
Alabama converted its free throws down the stretch, staving off Auburn’s comeback bid. The Crimson Tide went 16-of-19 at the free-throw line, while Auburn was 14-of-18. Two of Auburn’s misses, however, came in the final 12 seconds.
The Tigers will have another shot at the Crimson Tide on Wednesday, Feb. 7, when they host their rivals at Neville Arena.
The Tigers will remain on the road with another opportunity for a Quad One win as they face Mississippi State in Starkville, Mississippi. Tipoff is at 2:30 p.m. CST and the game will be televised on the SEC Network.
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Matthew is a senior from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in journalism. He started with The Plainsman in fall 2021.
Twitter: @mattwallaceAU
