The Auburn Tigers (9-1) came into Auburn Arena on the back of a five-game win streak with their most recent win coming against The Nebraska Cornhuskers, on Saturday December 11th in neutral Atlanta Georgia, ending 99-68. Meanwhile, the North Alabama Lions (6-4) were also on a five-game win streak with their most recent win coming against Alabama A&M, on Wednesday, December 8, ending 56-45. The Tigers also were without Bruce Pearl tonight leading to his son Steven Pearl taking over the reigns for the night.
Auburn’s Walker Kessler, who went on to be Auburn’s leading scorer with 14, grabbed momentum early with an early block on the defensive end and an electrifying dunk to score the first points of the game to send the Auburn family into a frenzy. This dominance continued as the Tigers were able to go on a 7-0 run to start the game before North Alabama’s Detalian Brown was able to end the run with a three with 16 minutes left in the first half.
Coming out of a timeout, Auburn was able to jump up four more points to put the Tigers up before the Lions were able to find holes in an almost perfect Auburn defense including a three by Dallas Howell, which helped the Lions start to grab some momentum back. However soon after, the Tigers were able gain back traction and answered back with a Zep Jasper three to make the score 17-10 with 10:47 remaining in the first half.
Auburn then started to go on a bit of a scoring drought with no points from around the eight-minute mark thanks to a reinvigorated North Alabama defense. That drought was broken by K.D. Johnson at the three minute and 58 second mark but the damage had been done with the Lions cutting a previously 11-point lead into a three-point lead, 25-22 with 3:11 remaining in the first half.
Auburn’s defense than began to show what it had shown during the earlier minutes of this game allowing no field goals to be made for the last three minutes until with 17 seconds to go in the half, when North Alabama’s Ortiz Daniel made a clutch three to make the score 32-27 with Auburn up at the Half.
Auburn got off to a fast start with Devan Cambridge scoring 11 seconds into the second half starting with an easy jumper. After a nearly three-minute scoring drought Auburn soon made a run with Walker Kessler scoring on back-to-back-to-back offensive possessions to put the Tigers up 41-29 with 15:35 in the game.
The game slowly got out of control for North Alabama, as the Lions went on a four-minute scoring drought, which was finally ended by Pape Momar Cisse. This was followed by a laws of physics defying dunk by Dylan Cardwell. This was later expanded on by a Devan Cambridge dunk that had nearly every person in Auburn Arena on their feet. These dunks not only gave great highlight reel footage but also seemed to spell the end for North Alabama, as the 14-2 run left the Lions down 20 with a rocking Auburn Arena.
With two minutes and 30 seconds to go in the game Auburn was up by 30 after going on an 8-0 run, the Tigers seemed to have this one on lock. The Tigers held on and the game ended with a North Alabama layup by Daniel Ortiz, who went on to be North Alabama’s leading scorer with 12, and a jumper made by Dallas Howell to make sure the Tigers did not cover a 29 point spread. The Tigers still dribbled out the last 20 seconds of the game and won 70-44.
Auburn took home the rebound award, outrebounding the Lions 50 to 40. The Tigers also took home the block award with 11 to the Lions six. One statistic the Tigers did not lead in was turnovers as the Lions beat them out with 18 to Auburn’s 10. Auburn shot a total of 69 Field goals with them making 25 of them. The Tiger defense was disciplined throughout the game, and they only let the Lions go to the charity stripe three times.
The North Alabama Lions will be looking to change their luck at home against Southeastern Baptist College on Saturday December 18th. Meanwhile the Tigers will go on a road trip on to Saint Louis to take on the eight and three Billikens on Saturday December 18th, that game will be broadcasted on CBSSN at 7:00 P.M. CST.
