No. 16 Alabama completed the season sweep of Auburn with a 96-84 home victory on Saturday night.
The Crimson Tide got off to a hot start, coming out of the gate on an 8-0 run to start the game and never looked back. Alabama took a 19-point lead into halftime and built it to as many as 28 points in the second half, putting any possible Auburn comeback to rest.
Alabama improves to 23-8 overall and 13-5 in the SEC and locks up the No. 2 seed in next week’s SEC Tournament with the win over Auburn.
Here are a few takeaways from the game.
- Early Turnovers Forced
Usually, Alabama sets the tone of the game with its offense, but on Saturday, the defense set the tone early. Alabama forced six turnovers in the first six minutes of the game. The combination of the Crimson Tide defense intensity and Auburn’s carelessness with the basketball led to Alabama forcing 13 turnovers in the game.
- A Thousand for Philon
In just two seasons for Alabama, Labaron Philon has eclipsed 1,000 points. Coming into the game, he only needed five more points to reach the milestone, and he accomplished that in the first three minutes of the game. Philon finished with a team-high 21 points to bring his career total to 1,016.
- Inside the Paint
Auburn did a good job limiting Alabama on the three-point line, but as a result, left the paint wide open. With a lack of an inside presence, the Crimson Tide drove the lane almost anytime they wanted. Alabama did damage in the paint, outscoring the Tigers 58-32 on the inside.
- Controlled the Glass
The Crimson Tide made a conscious effort to try to fix their rebounding problems. The extra effort was rewarded as Alabama outrebounded the Tigers 42-28. Of those 42 rebounds, 19 were on the offensive glass, leading to 24 second-chance points for the Crimson Tide.
Alabama will begin its SEC Tournament on Friday, March 13, at 6 p.m. as the No. 2 seed, with its opponent to be determined. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.
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