Auburn Falls to Rival Alabama in Tight Bout on Home Court

The Auburn Tigers had a strong start out of the gate, but they weren't able to finish the job against Alabama

Auburn put up a fight, but they couldn't get over the hump | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

AUBURN, Ala.- The Auburn Tigers fell to the Alabama Crimson Tide 96-92 on Saturday afternoon in Neville Arena. Auburn came out hot, forcing many turnovers, it was not enough to get past the Crimson Tide.

Auburn went with the starting lineup of Sebastian Williams-Adams, Tahaad Pettiford, Keyshawn Hall, Keyshawn Murphy and Kevin Overton. This was the primary lineup in the rotation in their last few games, and it did not work for them as expected, as Auburn dropped its second consecutive game. 

The Tigers came out of the gate swinging. Through 10 minutes of gameplay, the Tigers had 13 points off turnovers, whilst Alabama only had 14 points total. Auburn forced Alabama to play at its pace, which was unfamiliar for the Crimson Tide. However, Alabama was able to quickly adjust. Auburn led by as much as 10 points in the first half, and did not have much of the same luck in the second half. 

“They made tough one-on-one plays in the second half, and we got a little out of character from what worked in the first 18 minutes,” Auburn coach Steven Pearl said. “We scored 92 points. We’ve got to be able to win that game. It has nothing to do with our offense. It has everything to do with our defense. Our defense has got to get better. If we want to win games, we’ll sit down and guard.”

What happens next for the Auburn Tigers? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second, sign up for our free newsletter, and get breaking Auburn Tigers news delivered to your inbox daily!

Auburn’s leading scorer, Hall, started the game slowly, just as he did in Auburn’s previous matchup. In the first half, he started 4-12 shooting with 10 points at the halftime break. When it was all said and done, Hall finished with 24 points, but shot 8-22 from the field, not a winning recipe for the team’s leading scorer. 

Auburn led Alabama 41-37 at halftime. Overton was the leading scorer for the Tigers at the break, with 11 points. He shot 3-5 from the three-point line to help the Tigers take a halftime lead. 

Coming out of the second half, Auburn picked up right where they left off. However, this time around, Alabama had an answer for every Auburn bucket. In the middle of the third quarter, Alabama went on a 13-3 run to take the lead at 60-57. After that, it was a back-and-forth affair for both teams, with Alabama leading the majority of the second half. 

The story of the game for the Crimson Tide was their ability to punch back after Auburn threw a punch. 

“The last two minutes in the first half when we gave up three 3s was a huge momentum swing,” Pearl said. “It gave them the confidence they needed to know that they could knock down those shots.”

Auburn once again was unable to knock down three-pointers on a consistent level. Shooting just 9-28 from behind the arc, whilst Alabama finished shooting 12-23 from the three-point line. 

Down the stretch, it was former Auburn guard Aden Holloway who was the villain in this story. He hit big-time shots for the Tide near the end of the game to push the Tide past Auburn. Auburn now has to turn the page and face No.15 Vanderbilt at home on Tuesday evening. 

“You can’t mull on this loss,” Sebastian Williams-Adams said, who scored six points while contributing three rebounds, three steals and a blocked shot. “We’ve been here before. We’ll be better on Tuesday.”