Auburn overcame a slow start to defeat Alabama 84-63 Saturday night in front of a sold-out and orange clad Auburn Arena.
"Great win for Auburn tonight," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. "You beat your rival, it just means more in the SEC and it just means more when you have the opportunity to beat Alabama."
The Tigers struggled shooting in the first few minutes of the game, but several 3-pointers and a 17-2 run to close out the first half increased their lead over the Crimson Tide 48-28 heading into halftime.
The second half saw Auburn expand their lead to as big as 26, and they continued to knock down 3-pointers at an efficient clip. Overall the Tigers shot over 50 percent in the 3-point category in the game.
Bryce Brown was the leading scorer for the Tigers, scoring 23 points on 8-12 shooting (including five 3-pointers made). Jared Harper finished with 19 points and dished out five assists.
"When your one through five lineup can shoot, it's really dangerous," Brown said. "It spreads the floor out, and it makes it easier for guys like me and Jared (Harper), Samir (Doughty) to get in the lane and just finish."
Forcing turnovers has been a huge part of Auburn's success in wins this season, and tonight that proved true. Auburn forced 21 Crimson Tide turnovers and scored 30 points off those turnovers.
Alabama was led by John Petty, who scored 18 points.
Next up for Auburn (15-6, 4-4 in SEC) is a home game vs. Florida Tuesday at 8 p.m. CT. The game can be seen on ESPNU.
