AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Jaylin Williams scored a career-high 26 points and Johni Broome had 24 to lead No. 12 Auburn to a 99-81 victory over 16th-ranked Alabama on Wednesday night to move into a tie atop the Southeastern Conference.
The Tigers (19-4, 8-2 SEC) are tied for first with the Crimson Tide (16-7, 8-2) and No. 15 South Carolina. They held the nation’s top scoring offense to 37% shooting two weeks after Alabama snapped its in-state rival’s 11-game winning streak with a 79-75 win in Tuscaloosa.
This time it was Auburn grabbing a 14-point lead by halftime and never relinquishing control with huge games from both big men.
Williams shot 8 of 13 from the floor and made nine of 10 free throws. Broome had seven rebounds, five blocked shots and two steals.
Tre Donaldson had 14 points and Chad Baker-Mazara 13 for Auburn, which was ultimately able to empty the bench against its rival.
Mark Sears led Alabama with 25 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Grant Nelson scored 16 before fouling out with 6:05 left. Rylan Griffen added 14, including four 3-pointres. Aaron Estrada fouled out with 10 points.
Auburn pushed its lead to 20 early in the second half. Alabama couldn’t trim it to single digits, even with the Tigers missing nine straight shots over a seven-minute span.
Broome scored 10 points in the final 3:30 of the first half to stake Auburn to a 55-41 lead. The Tigers had led by 14 earlier before Alabama briefly came back to take the lead.
Simpson capped the scoring with a windmill dunk after a long heave from Donaldson with 26 seconds left. Sears then worked the clock down, but never got a shot off before the buzzer.
BIG PICTURE
Alabama: Had four players with four fouls by the 8:45 mark of the second half with two starters fouling out. Alabama was trying to win its fourth straight in the rivalry, something neither team had done since 2012.
Auburn: Remained the only SEC team unbeaten at home (12-0). The Tigers had only one turnover in the first half and five for the game.
UP NEXT
Alabama: Visits LSU on Saturday.
Auburn: Plays at Florida on Saturday.
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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
