Alabama Basketball Escapes Auburn, 94-90
Alabama basketball's winning streak moved to five games on Saturday afternoon after a thrilling 94-90 victory over Auburn inside Auburn Arena.
The Crimson Tide, who was without guard Jahvon Quinerly for a second-straight game, had balanced scoring throughout its lineup with five players in double-digits.
Josh Primo poured in a team-high 22 points, forward Jordan Bruner put up a season-high 20, Herb Jones' had a career-high 19, and Jaden Shackelford and John Petty Jr. scored 11 and 10, respectively.
“We knew it would be tough to come in here and win,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said postgame. “This is a program with a lot of pride. It showed a lot of character for our guys to come in here with zero preparation on [Sharife] Cooper. He changes the way they play."
Primo scored 14 of the first 16 points for the Crimson Tide including four three-pointers to give a 16-12 lead to the visitors.
“Primo, can't say enough about the start he gave us,” Oats said. “Best game he's played since he's been here.”
However, Auburn would claw its way back from a 28-18 deficit to take a 37-36 lead into halftime.
In the final 2:17 of the second half with Alabama trailing 90-89, the Crimson Tide forced the Tigers to go scoreless from the field and three turnovers, while it went on a 5-0 run to secure the road victory.
Alabama made 30 of its 73 shot attempts from the field for a 41 percent shooting percentage. It went 10-of-32 from three-point range and won the rebounding battle, 42-39.
From the free-throw line, the Crimson Tide shot 82 percent, making 24 of its 29 attempts.
It is the first win for Alabama inside Auburn Arena since February of 2015, snapping a six-game losing streak on the Plains. The Crimson Tide is now 9-3 (4-0 SEC) on the year and in first-place all by itself in the SEC.
For the Tigers, guard Sharife Cooper scored a game-high 26 points, going 8-of-19 from the field. He also dished out nine assists and grabbed five rebounds. Alan Flanigan added 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting, eight boards, and four assists.
Next up for Alabama is a road trip to Kentucky on Tuesday night at 8 p.m (CT) and will air on ESPN.
"Music thumpin a little bit by the time I got back there,” Oats said of the postgame locker-room celebration. “Those seniors haven't won here since they got here. To get a win their senior year was huge. Guys understand the rivalry. Great when you win some close games."
