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AUBURN – In case there was any doubt, chestnut basketball is firmly entrenched in the race for an SEC regular-season title.
The Tigers made a statement Wednesday night with its 99-81 victory over Alabama at Neville Arena, knocking the Crimson Tide out of the building after a few first minutes of action. It’s Auburn’s third straight win after the Tigers briefly suffered a two-game losing streak, sparked by a loss at Alabama on Jan. 24.
The frontcourt combination of Johni Broome and Jaylin Williams paved the way for the Tigers (19-4, 8-2 SEC) with a combined 50 points on 51.7% shooting. Broome has scored at least 15 points in six of his last eight games, and Williams has reached that mark in his last three appearances.
Auburn is now in a three-way tie atop the SEC with Alabama (16-7, 8-2) and South Carolina.
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Early running game for Auburn Basketball vs Alabama
The loss seemed to start early, as Auburn enjoyed a 20-3 run midway through the first half to take a 14-point lead with 10 minutes left in the first quarter. Alabama, however, responded with a 19-4 swing to regain the lead before the final media timeout of the first half.
Johni Broome dominates the end of the first half
With the score tied at 39-39, Broome stepped up to shoot and was fouled by Crimson Tide forward Nick Pringle. There was also some extracurricular activity after the whistle, with the two big men yelling at each other as Broome headed toward the foul line.
The next 3:30 belonged to Broome, as the Auburn center racked up 12 points, two rebounds, a steal and a block in that stretch. He also made all four of his shot attempts, helping the Tigers go on a 16-2 run.
Two sides of the turnover coin
Alabama gave the ball away 15 times, which resulted in 22 extra points for the home team. Auburn, on the other hand, took care of the ball and recorded just five turnovers.
What’s next on the Auburn basketball schedule?
The Tigers will hit the road again for an afternoon matchup against Florida on Saturday (2:30 p.m. CT, SEC Network). Auburn hasn’t visited Gainesville, Florida, and left with a win since 1996.
Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached by email at rsilva@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rich_silva18.
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