Recent editions of the Iron Bowl of Basketball have certainly delivered, and Saturday was no different.
Auburn controlled much of the afternoon, leading Alabama for nearly 24 minutes in Neville Arena, but the Crimson Tide’s 3-point shooting prowess was on full display down the stretch, handing Auburn a 96-92 loss – marking Alabama’s second straight win on Auburn’s home floor for the first time in more than a decade.
“Offense has nothing to do with it. We scored 92 points. That should be enough to win games in our league. It has everything to do with our defense. If we want to win games, we'll sit down and guard like we did during that four-game stretch,” said Auburn head coach Steven Pearl.
The Crimson Tide – which entered the matchup converting 12.6 three-pointers per contest, ranking No. 1 in the SEC and No. 2 nationally – shot a blistering 52% from beyond the arc, marking a new season high.
Tahaad Pettiford tallied 25 points – the second time he’s reached that mark in conference play – while Keyshawn Hall added 24 for his 14th 20-point outing of the season. Kevin Overton chipped in 17 points with four triples and KeShawn Murphy tallied his third double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
However, those efforts were overshadowed.
Labaron Philon, Jr., the SEC’s leading scorer, poured in 25 points with three 3-pointers for his 14th 20-point outing of the season. Amari Allen added 17 points with three triples, and former Auburn guard Aden Holloway – who reached 1,000 career points in Neville Arena – finished with 15 points.
After trailing since the 18:21 mark in the first half, Alabama took the lead with 13:41 remaining behind an 11-0 run. Alabama opened the game just 2-for-8 from deep, but closed the first half with three 3-pointers and carried that momentum into the second half with another early make from deep, chipping into Auburn’s cushion. The Tide ended the first half on an 11-3 run and exploded for 59 second-half points, scoring 1.53 points per possession after the break.
“The last two minutes of the first half are what dictated the second half,” Pearl said.
“For them to score 59 points in the second half is unacceptable of our defense,” he later added. “And that’s on me as their coach. I’ve got to do a better job.”
Auburn forced 14 Alabama turnovers that turned into 20 points, outrebounded the Tide 35-30 and outscored it in the paint 48-38 – typically a winning formula.
Pearl says it amounts to one thing.
“We've got to guard. Just got to guard,” he said. “Our best players have got to be better defenders. They can take that in a negative way, or they can take that as me knowing they're capable.”
Auburn will host No. 15 Vanderbilt on Tuesday at 6 p.m. on SECN.
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